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THE 

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN BOY 

AT SCHOOL 



The SCIENTIFIC 
AMERICAN BOY 
AT SCHOOL 



By 

A. RUSSELL BOND, 

Author of the Scientific American Boy, Etc. 




NEW YORK 

MUNN & CO., Inc., Publishers 

1910 



, o 



Copyright, 1909. by 
MUNN & CO.. Inc. 



All Rights Reserved. 



Portions of this matter have been copyrighted. 1909, 

by A. Russell Bond; 1909. by Suburban Life; 1909. by Woman's 

Home Companion, and 1897. by Munn & Co. 



The right of translation is reserved. 



25,1114 



MACGOWAN & SUPPER. Printers 

30 Beebnan St. 

New York. U. S. A. 



PREFACE 




lO those who have read "The Scientific 
American Boy," Bill needs no in- 
troduction. But his new acquaint- 
ances may be interested to know that 
Bill and several companions established a camp on an 
island in the Delaware, where for two summers they 
spent their time in various engineering undertakings, 
such as building bridges, huts, boats, windmills, etc. 
Their work was suddenly interrupted by the sale of 
the land on which they were encamped. However, 
this did not mark the end of Bill's activities. A boy 
of his stamp could not be content to remain idle very 
long. The present volume finds him at boarding 
school, where his ingenuity and creative instinct were 
an inspiration to another club of boys. It needs but 
the proper initiative to cause in the average American 



iv Prefai.e 

boy with a mechanical turn of mind, a remarkable 
display of originality and resourcefulness, and Bill's 
companions on several occasions even outdid their 
leader in ingenuity. 

Bill has grown in years and experience since we 
first met him, and, as would be expected, his work 
described in the following pages is of a more advanced 
character. 

The author desires to acknowledge his indebted- 
ness to Mr. J. B. Walker for assistance in designing 
the Howe truss bridge ; to Mr. Henry Thorpe for 
details of the camp refrigerator and fireless cooker ; to 
Mr. Thomas Fagan, who invented the ** fish-tail pro- 
peller" ; and to Mr. A. A. Hopkins, whose excellent 
book on Magic has been freely drawn upon. Several 
of the devices described have been taken from the 
Scientific American and modified to suit the require- 
ments or abilities of a boy. The seismograph, for in- 
stance, is very similar to one described and built 
by Prof. Henry H. Riggs, President of the Euphrates 



Preface v 

College at Harpoot, Turkey. The ornithologist's 
blind will be recognized as one originally designed by 
Mr. Frank M. Chapman. 

Some of the material has received advanced pub- 
lication in the Woman's Home Companion and 
Suburban Life. 

A. RUSSELL BOND 
New York, October, 1909 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I. 

PAGE 

Initiation i 

The Principal's Door. The Bottomless Pit. Jig's Initiation. 
An Unexpected Member. 

CHAPTER H. 
Building a Dam 9 

The Scarabeus. A New Club House. The Bramble Path. Pile 
Driving. A Log Wall. 

CHAPTER HI. 

Boat Building i8 

Nailing On the Bottom. Caulking and Painting. Launching 
the "Lady Bug." 

CHAPTER IV. 

The Club House on the Lake 28 

Farmer Fithian. How to Chop Down a Tree. The Working 
Platform. Laying Out a Rectangle. Triangles. The Floor of 
the -Lake House. The Frame of the House. Putting on the 
Clapboards. The Chimney Opening. 

CHAPTER V. 

A Chapter of Surprises 4^ 

Midnight. The Mulligans. An Ambush. Put to Rout. The 
Light in the Hall. A Daylight Banquet. 



viii Contents 



CHAPTER VL 

PACK 

The Modern Order of Ancient Engineers 50 

The Rogue's Gallery. The Pantagraph. Drawing One's Own 
Silhouette. Official Seals. The Work Bench. The Bench Vice. 
An Egyptian Lathe. A Bow Drill. Twisted Cord Drill. 

CHAPTER Vn. 

A Pedal- Paddle-Boat 64 

Friction Drive. How the Rollers Were Made. A Swivel Bear- 
ing. The Paddle Wheels. The Rudder. The Bicycle Support. 

CHAPTER Vni. 
Surveying the Lake yz- 

The Underwater Stockade. Tricks of Surveying. Sighting 
Over the Thumb. Sighting Across a Ruler. The Cane and 
Cardboard Scale. Surveying With a Pin. The Two-Foot Rule 
Method. The Shadow of a Tree. Measuring a Height by Re- 
flection. The Plane Table. The Alidade. Surveying the Lake. 
Sketching-in the Shore Line. "Traversing." The Stadia Rod. 
Surveying the Road to the Academy. 

CHAPTER IX. 
Sounding the Lake 94 

A Home-made Tripod. The Sounding Parties. The Land 
Stations. The Boat Party. Recording the Soundings. Locat- 
ing the Soundings. Professor James' Comment. A Camera 
as a Telescope. Testing the Lenses. Where to Set the Stadia 
Hairs. Making a Telescope. The Eye Piece. Sewing in the 
Stadia Hairs. 

CHAPTER X. 
Signaling Systems 108 

Making the Cones. Making the Drum. The Ball, Cone, and 
Drum Code. The Semaphore System. The Wig-Wag Alpha- 
bet. Night Semaphore Signals. Electric Night Signals. The 
Cipher Disk. Making up the Cipher. 



Contents ix 



CHAPTER XL 

PAGE 

The "Howe" Truss Bridge 121 

An Afternoon Call. The Moat. The Plank Bridge. A Lesson 
in Bridge Building. Construction of the "Howe" Truss. As- 
sembling the Truss. Mounting the Bridge on Runners. Snow- 
ball Catapult. Catapult Stand. The Trigger of the Catapult. 
The Gunners' Shield. A Warning. The Attack. Reinforce- 
ments. 



CHAPTER Xn. 

The Seismograph 141 

Uncle Ed's Letter. A Daily Paper. A Report from Bokhara. 
The Seismograph Explained. Locating the Earthquake. The 
Horizontal Pendulum. The Multiplying Lever. Casting the 
Lever Bearing. The Stylus. Connecting the Lever to the 
Pendulum. The Recording Drum. The Time Recorder. Coat- 
ing the Paper. A Record from the West Indies. 

CHAPTER Xni. 
The Canal Lock 1 56 

An Engineering Problem. The Inclined Slideways. Survey- 
ing for the Lock. The Canal Lock. The Upper Gate. The 
Lower Gate. Digging the Canal. Passing Through the Locks. 
The Drawbridge Above the Canal. Collecting Tolls. Lake 
Moeris and the Nile. 

CHAPTER XIV. 

HUNTLNG WITH A CAMERA 167 

A Man Up a Tree. An Early Morning Hunt. The Ornitholo- 
gists's Blind. A Guest of Honor. Photograph a Meadow Lark. 
A Representative of the Scarabeans. An Electric Shutter. The 
Dummy Camera. The Umbrella Blind. Qimbers. An Hon- 
orary Member. Photographing Wild Animals. An Unex- 
pected Portrait. Underwater Photography. The Float Box. 
Taking Pictures of Fish. A Failure. 



X Contents 



CHAPTER XV. 

PAGE 

The Gliding Machine 187 

A Gliding Machine. Making the Main Frame. Bracing the 
Frame. The Sail Planes. The Rudder Frame. The Rudders. 
The First Glide. Gliding Contests. 



CHAPTER XVL 
Camping Ideas 198 

Planning a Summer Outing. Sleeping Bags. Water-proofing 
the Bags. The Sleeping Bags in Use. Pine Beds. The Fire- 
less Cooker for the Camp. Construction of the Cooker. An 
Iceless Refrigerator. Waterproof Matches. 

CHAPTER XVn. 
The Haunted House 207 

A Message from the Sacred Scarabeus. Exciting News. A 
Visit to the Lake House. Preparing for the Feast. A Trip to 
the Haunted House. Mysterious Sounds. Farmer Fithian En- 
rolled With the Scarabs. One of the Requirements. The Ghost 
at the Window. Phosphorescent Paint. 

CHAPTER XVni. 

Sun Dials and Clepsydras 219 

The Square Faced Dial. The Sun as a Timekeeper. Marking 
the Dial Face. The Sun Dial on the Lawn. Finding the North 
Star. A Vertical Dial. A Simple Water Clock. A Siphon 
Clepsydra. The Dial Mechanism. Testing the Mechanism. 
The Siphon Regulator. 

CHAPTER XIX. 
The Fish-Tail Propeller 234 

A Wooden Fish Tail. Construction of the Fish Tail. Fish Tail 
Propulsion. The Centerboard. Steering With the Fish Tail. 



Contents xi 



CHAPTER XX. 

PAGE 

Kite Photography 242 

Birdseye Photograph. Suggestions for Springing the Shutter. 
The Bladder Trigger. The Ice Trigger. The Alarm Clock 
Trigger. The Key-Ring Signal. Telephone Kite Signals. 

CHAPTER XXI. 

Water Kites and Current Sailing 250 

Kite Sailing in the Water. A Removable Keel. Current Sailing. 
Sailing With a Drag. 

CHAPTER XXH. 
The Canvas-Covered Wooden Canoe 258 

Building the Frame of the Canoe. The Steam Box. Bending 
the Ribs. Stretching On the Canvas. 

CHAPTER XXni. 

The Bicycle Sled 267 

The Waving Bush. The Bicycle Sled. Wanted— A Brake. 
A Raid on the Mulligans. Licked. 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

Magic 279 

An Egyptian Entertainment. Stage Settings. The Arch Priest 
of the Sacred Scarabeus. Advent of the Sacred Scarabeus. 
A Message from the Scarabeus. Magic Flowers. A Bouquet in 
the Goblet. Eggs in the Magic Handkerchief. The Padded 
Hat. Changing Ink to Water. The Magic Solvent. Making 
Moiiey. The Disappearance of Tommy. Tommy's Return. 

CHAPTER XXV. 

The Sail Boat 297 

Forms and Side Planks. Cutting Out the Ribs. Planking the 
Frame. The Spars. The Sails. The Leeboard. 



xii Contents 



CHAPTER XXVL 

PAGE 

Water Sports 309 

The Diving Swing. Dredging a Swimming Hole. The Out- 
door Gymnasium. A Swimming Sail. Construction of the 
Swimming Craft. The Human Fish. One Thing Lacking. The 
Framework of the Monster. Covering the Framework. The 
Sea Serpent in Lake Moeris. The Sea Serpent in the Creek. 
Tommy's Peril. 

CHAPTER XXVn. 

The Geyser Fountain 324 

A Token of Gratitude. Farmer Fithian's Spring. A Temporary 
Fountain. The Iron Pipe Line. The Concrete Basin. The 
Concrete Mixture. 



THE SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN BOY 
AT SCHOOL 

CHAPTER I. 

INITIATION 

It was the first moonless night of the school year. The 
time had been chosen only after carefully consulting a 
patent medicine almanac on the chances for a darlc, cloudy 
night. Strange to say, the almanac struck it right that time. 
We couldn't have wished for wilder weather. The wind 
was blowing a gale. No rain fell, but occasionally there 
was a brilliant flash of lightning, revealing weird cloud 
forms against the jet-black sky. 

We were all ready for the initiation. Announcements had 
been sent to the favored three, who were to be admitted 
into the fold of the Big Bug Club, summoning them to be 
ready for their guides on the stroke of midnight. 

"This shall be your sign," so the summons read; "your 
guide will utter the word 'doom,' at which you must give 
the countersign 'devotion.' Remember the countersign!" 

At ten minutes of 12 four Big Bugs, the only survivors 
of the last year's famous club, assembled in the lobby of 
the school, and each donned his white cap, and rolled a 
pebble under his tongue to disguise his voice. Bill staid 
down stairs on guard, while the rest of us wrapped in sheets 
stole up to our positions In the dormitory, and on the last 
stroke of 12, three bedroom doors opened simultaneously. 

"Jig" Nelson was my victim — an awfully nervous fellow. 
As I opened the door there was a tremendous clap of 



2 The Scientific American Boy at School 

thunder, and a blue-green flash lighted up the room. "Jig" 
started up in bed, staring at me with terrified eyes. He did 
not stir as I glided toward him and leaned over to utter the 
mysterious signal in his very ear. 

"Doom!" The word boomed out with an unearthly, 
hollow sound. No answer from the spellbound "Jig." 

"Doom-m!" I said again, but "Jig" was struck speechless. 

"Doom-m-m !" I said a third time, but the spell was 
broken, for in this supreme effort the pebble suddenly shot 
out of my mouth and down my victim's neck. 

"Wow!" cried "Jig" with a yell that should have brought 
out the police. 

"Shut up, you fool!" I said in a hoarse whisper; "don't 
be an ass ! This is one of the Big Bugs. Have you forgotten 
your countersign?" 

"Devotion," came the trembling response. 

"Now, brace up!" as I blindfolded him; "we don't want 
any mollycoddles in our club. Get your duds on, man ! You 
should have been all dressed and waiting for me. I hope 
you haven't waked up the whole house." 

A few minutes later I led him out into the hall. On the 
way down we had to pass the "old man's" room. This was 
decidedly a misnomer, because the new principal of our 
academy was far from being an elderly man. On the con- 
trary, Professor James looked strangely young for his age. 
His short, slight figure, fair hair, light blue eyes, and 
smooth-shaven face were a marked contrast to the rugged 
features of his predecessor. Professor Clark. 

The Principal's Door 
At the foot of the stairs, right in front of the principal's 
door, was a squeaky board. This board had been my 



Initiation 



undoing once before, when I was sneaking to a midnight 
club meeting, and I didn't mean to be betrayed by it a 
second time. Now, as we approached the telltale spot, I 
cautioned "Jig" to take a long step over it, but as luck 




Fig. 1 — Stumbled and struck heavily against the door 



4 The Scientific American Boy at School 

would have It, he stumbled and struck heavily against the 
door. I was sure the game was all up ; for fully two minutes 
we stood quaking with bated breath, but nothing happened. 
Presently we made out the measured breathing of the 
sleeper, and much relieved groped our way noiselessly down 
to the lobby. 

Bill and "Doc" Williams had already gone out with 
"Sneezer" Tracy, the first neophyte (new member), and 
Roy Bowers was waiting for me with "Jumbo" Harris, the 
second candidate. As it took two guides to initiate each 
victim properly, "Jig" had to be left behind until the other 
two had been put through their paces. Stripping off our 
sheets and white caps we plunged out Into the wild night 
with "Jumbo," the fattest boy In school. 

Quite a programme of foolish tricks was provided for his 
entertainment. The tricks were all harmless, because our 
object was to be funny rather than to cause pain. To start 
with, we held his legs and made him walk on his hands, 
down the steep terrace toward the barn. Then we led him 
up to the hay loft and made him do the "dip of death," 
which was a slide down the slippery mound. He had to 
shin up a slippery pole, and walk the plank. The plank 
was laid across a saw horse, seesaw fashion, and he had to 
walk up one side, teeter the board over, and then walk 
down the other with no assistance from us, though we stood 
by at each side to catch him in case he made a false step. 

The Bottomless Pit 

Next we led him Into the shed. A six-Inch beam was laid 
on the floor, and supported one end of a long plank. 
"Jumbo" was led up this Inclined path, but the slope was so 
gradual that he thought he was walking on the level. Sud- 



Initiation 



denly we stopped him at the very end of the plank with his 
toes over the edge. 

"Before you lies the bottomless pit," said Bill in sepulchral 
tones. "Leap down into the depths to meet the 'A-awful 
Presence.' " 

But "Jumbo" rebelled; he did not care to take a leap in 
the dark. Only after the direst threats and dares could we 
induce him to make the venture. He gathered himself up 




Fig. 2 — He passed for a pretty good goat in the dark. 

for a long jump; imagine his surprise at bringing up short 
after a drop of but six inches. We howled with laughter, in 
which even "Sneezer," who had just been through the same 
trick, joined. 

The^next "stunt" on the programme was the goat ride. 
We had no goat, but Bill agreed to act as a substitute. He 
had tied upon him a sheepskin rug, purloined from the 
library, and he had a pair of horns whittled out of a gnarled 
root and nailed to a leather strap, by which he fastened 
them on his head. He passed for a pretty good goat in the 



6 The Scientific American Boy at School 

dark, and "Doc" told me that the antics he went through 
while "Sneezer" tried to hang on his back were better than 
those of a real live goat. However, when it came to putting 
"Jumbo" through the same performance, he demurred. He 
wasn't going to prance around with an elephant on his back, 
so we reversed the proceedings, and "Jumbo" had to be the 
goat, while we all took turns riding on him. 

"Jig's" Initiation 

The two neophytes, still blindfolded, were now stood up 
in a corner of the shed, while Bill and I hurried back after 
"Jig" Nelson. "Jig" appeared to have regained his nerve, 
and went through the ordeal without flinching. He seemed 
actually to enjoy the scramble down the steep terrace, the 
seesaw board didn't alarm him, and he shinned up the 
slippery pole with an alacrity that evoked our admiration. 
The oyster, which we told him was the "evil eye," he ate with 
evident relish, and even the leap into the bottomless pit did 
not appear to phase him. Whether he was startled at being 
brought up short we could not tell, as the large handkerchief 
I had tied over his eyes completely covered his face. 

The final act of the initiation was now performed. Bill, 
who was to pose as the "A-awful Presence," took his seat 
on a soap box, attired in his goat costume, while the two 
neophytes were made to kneel before him. Roy, "Doc," 
and 1 took up our positions behind them. Each member 
was sworn to secrecy and loyalty to the club. By the light 
of a barn lantern. Bill then read the constitution — not a 
very long document; but It dealt mainly with our pledge to 
meet at least once a month for a midnight banquet. Then, 
with a cheer, the neophytes were suddenly unblindfolded 
and made to look on the "A-a-awful Presence." 



Initiation 



An Unexpected Member 

I will never forget that moment. The Awful Presence 
fell over backward from his throne and started like a shot 
for the door. "Jig" ran after him and stopped him. But 
no; was it "Jig"? Sure as I live, there stood Professor 




Fig. 3 — The "Awful Presence" fell over backward 

James wearing the broadest of broad smiles, while we sim- 
ply stared with fear frozen on our faces. 

"Don't be alarmed, boys," said Professor James. "Did 
I not just swear absolute secrecy and loyalty to the club? I 
want to tell you right here that I will be just as loyal to 



8 The Scientific American Boy at School 

you as you are to me." Oh, pshaw, we were in for it now. 
A lecture on loyalty and such. But the next sentence sur- 
prised me. "I have no objection to your continuing this 
club in all secrecy to the rest of the school." Did he mean 
it? "But, now that I have been duly initiated and sworn in 
as a member, you must let me into your plans and recognize 
my vote. I will try to be a boy with you, and I think I can 
help you in lots of ways which will make up for my forcible 
entry into the Big Bugs' Club." 

"Three cheers for Professor James!" cried someone, and 
the cheers were given with a vim. 

"Now, Mr. President," he said, addressing Bill, "I 
believe the constitution limits the membership to seven, but 
I move you that the article be amended to allow one more 
member, for poor Nelson is still waiting in the lobby, where 
I traded coats with him." 

The motion was unanimously carried, and I hurried off 
to fetch "Jig." To make up for his long wait, we swore 
him in without putting him through any initiation pranks. 
The society then adjourned after passing a motion made by 
Professor James that we meet in his own room immediately 
after school hours the next day. 

"I am asking you to come to my own room, and not to 
the office. In the office I shall always be Professor James, 
principal of the Academy, and as such I shall demand that 
you treat me with all respect due to my office. But in my 
own room I can be a boy with you, a loyal member of the 
Big Bugs' Club." 

"Say, he's a slick one, isn't he?" said Bill, as we were 
getting back to bed; "but he seems to be the right sort." 



CHAPTER II. 
BUILDING A DAM 

The next day we assembled in the principal's room, 
where Professor James greeted us cordially with the secret 
handshake and the countersign of the month and then 
escorted Bill to the seat of honor. A meeting was called at 
once, and Professor James was given the floor. 

"Fellow members," he said, "I want to apologize for 
taking an unfair advantage of you last night. But there Is 
quite a little to be said on my side. When Professor Clark 
handed over the school to me, he told me of a mysterious 
club which some of the boys were conducting on the sly. 
Just what sort of a club it was, he could not tell. He knew 
that the members had held secret meetings at night, but 
their purpose was a mystery to him. The fact that the club 
was secret was conclusive evidence to him that it must be 
'crooked.' Consequently, he was strongly of the opinion 
that the organization should be broken up. That Is why he 
had your cave destroyed, and his urgent advice to me was 
that I check any attempts at reorganizing the club this fall. 
But I could not do such a thing without giving you a trial. 
Now, I hate a 'squealer' just as much as you do ; and 
though I knew one or two members of the club, I could not 
call them^up to tell on the rest. Last night, as luck would 
have it, I heard you creep out to your rendezvous, and I 
had to take some action. As I have just said, I took an 
unfair advantage of you; but, come now, don't you think 
you took an unfair advantage of me In trying to steal off to 
the barn while I was asleep? 



lo The Scientific American Boy at School 

"Now, I haven't seen any harm in the club, except for the 
loss of sleep at the midnight banquets, but there is one thing 
that every one despises, and that is a 'sneak.' Don't sneak 
off to those banquets. You can be secretive, and need not 
let anyone else in the school know when and where you are 
going to meet. But, why not have something better than 
midnight feasts for the chief aim of the society? Why not 
make it a club worth while? Bill, your uncle told me the 
other day, about the things you did in camp last summer. 
Why not continue the good work here? You may rely on 
me for considerably more than my share of the funds neces- 
sary to carry out any ideas that are worth while." 

Cheers ! 

The Scarabeus 

"Hold on, boys. I am not through yet. Among the relics 
of your cave house that Professor Clark turned over to me 
was a drawing of a huge bettle bearing the letters G.I.B. 
Now that I have been initiated, of course I know that 
G.I.B. must be read backward and with the beetle signifies 
Big Bug; but when I first saw it I thought it was meant to 
represent the Egyptian sacred beetle, or scarabeus, and 
that your club was patterned after one of the mysterious 
ancient societies. I am sorry my guess was wrong, because 
you could do much worse than to copy those old-time scien- 
tists and engineers. They were pretty smart, those people 
of Bible days. Do you know that the first subway under a 
river was built by the Assyrians, ages ago? Yes; one of 
their old kings wanted to have a private passage run under 
the Euphrates, and he told his engineers to build it. They 
must have been a pretty blue lot of engineers when they got 
those orders. It would not have been so bad if they were 



Building a Dam 



II 



going through rock, but the bed of the Euphrates is sandy, 
and there were no tunnel shields in those days to keep the 
tunnel from caving in while it was being built. They had 
to build the tunnel though, or have their heads chopped off. 
A pretty strong incentive, that ! Well, they didn't lose their 
heads; some one hit upon a scheme. It meant a lot of labor, 
but there were no unions 
then, and labor cost 
nothing. What do you 
suppose they did? The 
simplest thing in the 
world. They dug a new 
channel for the Euphra- 
tes, diverted the waters 
into it, and then pro- 
ceeded to build their tun- 
nel in perfect safety in 
the dry bed of the river. 
When all was completed, 
the new channel was 
stopped, and the waters 
flowed through the old 
channel over the tunnel." 

"Gee! that was clever, wasn't it?" interjected Bill. 

"It certainly was. Why, you have no idea how smart 
those people were ! The old Egyptians used to hatch their 
eggs in incubators. The Egyptian priests had nickel-in-the- 
slot machines for selling holy water In their temples, and 
when it came to great engineering works they were simply 
wonderful. They didn't have steam engines, or much In the 
way of machines to help them, but yet they managed some- 
how. That's a good motto for the Big Bug Club — 'Manage 




Fig. 4 — A beetle bearing the letters GIB 



12 The Scientific American Boy at School 

Somehow.' You cannot afford to buy a steam engine or a. 
gasoline motor, and you cannot put much money Into the 
things you want to do, but with a little headwork I believe 
you can get up some schemes that would make even the 
clever old Egyptians sit up and take notice." 

"Hooray for the old Egyptian engineers! Give them 
three cheers!" And they were given with a vim. 

"Let's make it an Egyptian club," said Roy. 

"How will this do?" put in "Doc;" "The Modern Order 
or Ancient Engineers." The motion was carried with a 
storm of applause. 

"This means that we've got to study ancient history," 
said Bill, "and I appoint Jim and 'Doc' as a committee of 
two to look up the subject and work out the details of our 
organization." 

A New Club House 

Next we discussed the question of building a new home 
for our club, to take the place of the cave we had dug the 
year before. Caves, huts, log cabins, and tree houses were 
in turn proposed and rejected. But finally someone sug- 
gested that we construct a lake house on FIthian's Pond. 
The proposition seemed a good one, and the entire club, 
Professor James included, walked down to the pond to make 
a preliminary survey. 

FIthian's Pond was a boggy, half-submerged tract, near 
the Academy grounds, that had once been a mill pond, 
but the dam had been completely destroyed, and a large 
stream flowed through it to a much larger pond beyond 
called Jenkin's Lake. We planned first to reconstruct 
the dam, and then to build our lake house on a bank 



Building a Dam 13 

which would be covered to a comparatively shallow depth 
when the dam was completed. 

The Bramble Path 

The shores of the pond, particularly on the western side, 
were clothed with a thick, almost impenetrable, mass of 
undergrowth and briars. The year before. Bill had chanced 
on an old forgotten trail through the matted growth, which 
led to the water's edge. Here there were splendid oppor- 
tunities for concealing a boat. By the judicious use of a 
hatchet, Bill had trimmed a clear path which, however, was 
completely hidden at each end by a large bush that had to 
be parted before we could enter the trail. We planned to 
use this path as our main approach to the lake. 

Pile Driving 

On the following afternoon we commenced operations on 
the dam. The gap we had to fill was about ten feet wide, 
and we meant to build the dam to a height of five or six feet. 
First we chopped down three young trees, trimmed off the 
branches, and made three posts or piles, each ten feet long. 
The posts were pointed at one end, and the branches which 
had been chopped off were piled away for future use. Bill 
and "Sneezer" had worked out a method of construction. 
They proposed to drive these posts into the bed of the stream 
and then pile logs and brush against them. Just how we 
were to dHve the posts without a pile driver puzzled me, 
but Bill said he had seen a "human pile driver" on the Har- 
lem River, and was sure we could drive our piles in the same 
way, particularly as the stream had a soft, mud bottom. Back 
of the barn we found a long two-inch plank, which was put 
into service. The end of this plank was sawed out to a V 



14 The Scientific American Boy at School 

shape, as shown in Fig. 5, so that it would fit partly around 
the pile or post. A ten-foot pile was set upright in the 
stream, with its pointed end sticking in the mud, and the 
plank was laid with one end resting on the shore and the 
other on a cleat, J, nailed to the pile at the proper height. 
To prevent the plank from slipping off the cleat, blocks, B, 
were nailed to the points of the V on the under side, and 




Fig. 5 — When Bill counted three we all jumped 

they fitted over the cleat. As a further precaution, nails, C\ 
were driven through the plank into the cleat, but with the 
heads sticking up so that they could easily be withdraAvn 
whenever desired. "J'g" ^"d "Sneezer," who were the light- 
est members of the club, steadied the pile to start with by 
means of a pair of laths nailed to it, while the rest of us 
lined up on the plank, "Jumbo" Harris in the lead, for in 
this game avoirdupois was everything. Then when Bill 



Building a Dam 



15 



counted three, we all jumped up and landed as one on the 
plank with a total weight of nearly six hundred pounds. The 
post dropped fully fifteen inches, and we had to knock off the 
cleat and nail it higher up, and then repeat the jumping 
operation. It took three jumps to drive the post the next 
fifteen inches, and before we had driven it to a depth of four 
feet we lost count of the number of jumps we had to make. 
After the center pile was driven we drove the other two 
piles in line near the opposite banks, but with the ends stick- 
ing up about six inches higher than the center pile. The 




Fig. 6 — Looking down on the top of the dam 

piles were connected at the top by a board, C, which was 
bent around the front of the center pile and back of the other 
piles (see Fig. 6). This helped to stiffen the upper end of 
the central pile. To the rear or upstream side of each of the 
side piles, D, and six or eight inches from them, two lighter 
posts, E, were driven into the mud. These sticks were driven 
with an ax, as it was not necessary to sink them to any great 
depth. 

A Log Wall 

Our next task was to cut a number of light logs, which 
we wedged down between the piles D and E; thus a log wall 
was built across the stream. To stop up the'cracks between 



i6 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



the logs, we lowered a mass of brush and branches against 
the upstream side of the dam, sinking it with loads of earth 
and stone. The water forced this mass against the logs, 
pretty effectually stopping the leaks. The main trick in build- 
ing a dam is to prevent the water from washing out the 
banks at each side, so Professor James told us, and we over- 




Fig. 7 — A log wall across the stream 



came the difficulty by building up the sides of the dam higher 
than the center so that the water would flow over the center 
only. Fig. 7, which is a front view of the dam, shows how 
this was done. A board, F, was nailed onto the top of the 
dam, forming a sort of sill. The two end piles, which ex- 
tended through the sill, were notched to provide a bearing 
for this board. (See G, Fig. 7.) Four wedge-shaped boards, 
H, were then sawed out, and nailed onto the sill and to the 
piles at each side, and finally two boards, /, were nailed onto 
the wedge-shaped pieces. 



Buildinsi a Dam 



17 



Nearly two weeks elapsed before the dam was entirely 
completed. The pond filled as rapidly as we built, and was 




Sacticm at AA. 

Fig. 8 — The filling behind the log wall 

pouring over the top of the dam before we had finished 
dumping rock and earth on the upstream side. A pile of 
stones was dumped on the downstream side of the dam to 
break the fall of the water and prevent It from washing out 
a deep hole and undermining the central pile. 



CHAPTER III. 



BOAT BUILDING 

It was not until after our dam had been completed that 
we realized how foolish we were not to have built the lake 
house before flooding the site with water. We did not even 
have a boat to navigate our lake. There 
was nothing to do but to build one, and 
we determined that as lake dwellers we 
should have something pretty nice, not 
a common scow such as most boys build. 
JRoy Bowers designed the skiff and su- 
perintended its construction. His home 
was somewhere on Chesapeake Bay, and 
he knew more about boats than all the 
rest of us put together. 

First we bought four ^-inch boards, 
each 14 feet long. 

3ft.n/^in ^ These were planed 

on a taper, so that 
they measured 10 
inches wide at the 
bow of our boat and 
but 9 inches at the 
stern. Out of a 
piece of oak 3 x 4 x 
22 inches long we cut a stem piece like that shown in Fig. 9. 
Then we sawed out a mold or form such as shown in 
Fig. 10. The two lower side planks of the boat, or 
"strakes" as they are called, were now nailed to the stem. 




Fig. 9 — The stem piece 




3ft. 3m- 



Fig. 10 — The mold board 



Boat Building 



19 



Galvanized iron nails were used, so as to prevent rusting. 
The form was placed between the strakes about 5 feet from 
the stem, and the opposite ends of the boards were 
then drawn together by means of a rope, which was 
tightened by winding it up like a tourniquet with a stick A, 



-5T£M 




Fig. 11 — Bending the side planks 

as shown in Fig. 11. When we had drawn the ends of 
the strakes within about 28 inches of each other, the lever 
A was held in place by a bar B placed over it and under 
the ends of the boards. The upper strakes were now 
nailed to the stem piece with their lower edges over- 



20 



The Scientific American Box at ScJiool 



lapping the lower boards about an Inch, and the boards 
were drawn together In the same way as the lower ones by 
means of a rope. It will be noticed that at the bow the lap- 
ping of the two boards Is concealed, and they come together 
at the stem as If one were directly above the other. To 
accomplish such a joint, we had to bevel the meeting edges of 
the upper and lower strak.es for a distance of about 40 inches 




Br/EI,LtDJ(UBT 



BCV Jt'.-IOM 




Fig, 12 — The beveled joints of the upper and lower strakes 

from the stern, as Indicated In Fig. 12. The upper and lower 
strakes were now nailed to the transom, 34 Inches wide at 
the top and 29 at the bottom. (See Figs. 13 and 15.) This 
done, the strakes were nailed together along their overlap- 
ping edges. The gunwales C were then nailed to the upper 
boards. They were strips 2)^ Inches wide and % Inch thick. 

Nailing on the Bottom 

The boat was then turned upside down, and the side edges 
were planed flat to receive the bottom boards, which were 
nailed on as shown in Fig. 13. The boards were not jammed 
up close to each other, but were separated by a very narrow 
crack, to allow for swelling of the wood when in the water. 
After enough of the bottom was nailed on to hold the sides 
of the boat In place without the rope, they were sawed off 
at an angle, starting at about 30 Inches from the stern, as 
shown at D, Fig. 13. Then we continued nailing on the 



Boat Build ins: 



21 



bottom boards over the incline and up to the transom. After 
the bottom boards were nailed on, their projecting ends were 
sawed off. A keel board 6 inches wide {E, Figs. 14 and 15) 




Fig. 13 — Nailing on the bottom 

was fastened to the bottom of the boat. This extended up 
the slanting stern to the transom. A triangular piece, F, 
called the "dead wood" or "skag" (see Fig. 20), was now 
nailed to the slanting part of the keel, and to it a sternpost, 
G, was secured. 

The boat was now turned right side up, and ten ribs, which 
had been sawed out of an oak board to the form shown in 
Fig. 16, were nailed 
against the sides so rsC- 
to bind the strakes 
Hrmly together. Two 
corner braces of oak, 
like that shown in Fig. 
17, served to stiffen 
the joints between the 
sternboard and the 
upper strakes. Before 
the corner braces were 
nailed in place the 
stern seat was built in. 

1 his was made with Fie-. H — Stem view of the boat 




Fig. 14 — A section through the center of the boat 



<f^ 


8 


^, 


\ -'V**^-'' ■ ' 


~ 


1 


- '■ '"'""'■■■T.ip*,,^--, / 


\^r t 


■\ "'Si 


\ Ir 


?l Y 


\ J^ 


'\ 1 




i 





22 



The Scientific American Box at School 



a removable section //, consisting of three boards fas- 
tened together with cleats, as shown in Fig. i8. A board / 
supported the front of the seat, and a strip / the rear, and 





Fig. 16 — One of the oak ribs 



Fig. 17 — Oak corner brace 




-XOOKER^ 

Fig. 18 —The locker under the stem seat 

the cleats fitted snugly between them. In this way a shallow 
locker was formed which was opened by lifting out the re- 
movable section. A locker was also built in the bow, the top 
of it forming the bow seat. A brace of oak was then nailed 
to the bow, as shown in Fig. 19. Two more seats were 



Boat Building: 



23 



trq" 




i^-.-"J 





24 Tlic Scientific American Boy at School 

fitted Into the boat, one 3 feet from the stern seat, and the 
other 27 inches from the bow seat. These two seats were 
10 Inches wide. They were supported on and nailed to the 
upper edge of the lower strake. There was but one more 
detail necessary to complete the building of the boat, viz., 
the oar locks. We cut four oak blocks, K ( Figs. 1 9 and 20) , 
each I 2 inches long and 2 inches thi'ck. In each block two 
holes were drilled, 2 inches apart, to receive the thole pins, 
which were driven tightly into place. The blocks were then 
nailed to the gunwales, so that the thole pins were about a 
foot abaft of each of the two seats. We did not attempt 
to make the oars for the boat, because they could be bought 
very cheaply. 

Calking and Painting 
Our boat was now done except for the calking and paint- 
ing. We used all sorts of scrap materials to stop up the 
cracks — old rope, bits of cotton waste, and pieces of felt. 
In each case the calking was coated with white lead paint 



LADY BUG 



Fig. 21— A cardboard stencil 

before wedging it into the crack. The nail heads were 
driven well into the wood, all over the boat, and covered 
over with putty. Then we painted the boat with two coats 
of white-lead paint, and trimmed it with red on the gun- 
wales and stem and stern posts. 

We settled on the name "Lady Bug" as the most suitable 
for the Big Bugs' boat. "Jig" painted the name on in red 



Boat Building 25 

letters by means of a stencil which he cut out of a piece of 
cardboard, as shown In Fig. 21. 

Launching the "Lady Bug" 

When the boat was ready to be launched and put into 
commission, it occurred to us that we should have an appro- 
priate launching ceremony. A programme was prepared 
and we issued cards of invitation, each card bearing the em- 
blem of the Scarab in one corner drawn by "Jig," who was 
quite an artist. 

The launching ceremony was a great success. The whole 
school came down, as well as some guests from the town. 
Altogether there was quite a crowd. Roy's sister, Nell, 
was the guest of honor, and had come all the way from 
Maryland for the christening. First of all. Professor 
James delivered an address, and while he was talking Bill 
and I stationed ourselves on opposite sides of the boat, which 
was mounted on several round sticks or rollers, resting on 
a couple of planks that were laid on the slanting bank near 
the dam. 

After the address, Nell came forward and shattered a 
bottle of soda water on the bow of the boat, exclaiming at 
the same time, "I christen thee 'Lady Bug.' " At that instant 
Bill and I on opposite sides of the boat pulled out the chocks 
from under the rollers, gave the boat a shove, and the "Lady 
Bug" rolled majestically into the water, while Captain Roy 
waved aloft, not an Egyptian flag, but the dear old Stars 
and Stripes, for after all we were loyal Americans, despite 
our Egyptian name. 

"Say, did you see Pat Mulligan back of the crowd?" said 
"Sneezer" after the launching was over. Pat Mulligan was 



26 



The Scientific American Box of School 




Boat Building 27 

one of the toughest young rascals in town. He was the 
leader of a gang of hoodlums that were the terror of the 
East Side section. 

"Well, he wasn't there for any good," I responded. "We 
had better hide our boat to-night or there will be trouble." 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE CLUB HOUSE ON THE LAKE 

When we first started building the boat, all seven of us 
took part in the work, with the result that we were always 
in each other's way; so finally the boat building was left in 
the hands of Roy Bowers, "Jumbo," and myself, while Bill 
with the rest of the boys started work on a dock for the 
boat. The dock was built out from the end of our bramble 
path for a distance of lo or 12 feet. The task was a simple 
one, for the water was quite shallow here. Into the bed of 
the pond, posts were driven in two rows, 3 feet apart. Each 
row was connected by a stringer, i inch thick by 4 inches 









kS^- 




Fig. 23 — A dock built out from the end of the bramble path 

wide (Fig. 23), and on these stringers the flooring was laid. 
For the flooring we used slab boards, which we managed 
to get from a sawmill in the vicinity. (Slab boards are the 
worthless first cuts obtained in squaring timber. For this 



Tlic Club House on the Lake 29 

reason one side of the board is usually round and may have 
more or less bark on it, while the other side is flat.) 

The dock was completed before the boat was done, but 
that did not prevent Bill from starting work on the lake 
house. It was evident that a number of piles would be 
needed for the foundations; according to Bill's estimate, 
sixteen. Fortunately, at the site chosen the water was but 
2 or 3 feet deep, and we figured that 6- or 8-foot piles would 
be long enough, because the floor of the house was to be 
only a foot above water level. So, while Roy and I were 
putting on the finishing touches to the boat. Bill headed the 
rest of the club into Fithian's Woods near by, and proceeded 
to chop down the necessary timber. 

Farmer Fithian 
Farmer Fithian was a good old soul, who took a great 
interest in the Academy boys because he had attended school 
there fully fifty years before; although, judging by his 
grammar, he had not profited much by his schooling. He 
strolled over while Bill was hacking at the trees, and 
watched him for a while in silence. Finally he spoke up. 

How to Chop Down a Tree 
"Here; hand me that there ax, and I'll give ye a lesson 
in tree fellin'. Of course, ye ain't cuttin' down no sixty-foot 
trees, but ye might as well I'arn how it's done. First of all 
pick out the place where ye want it to fall at. Of course, 
if yer tre^ leans over a good bit, or If it has most of its 
branches on one side like this here," pointing to a tree which 
had a decided overhanging in one direction, "then it's sure 
to fall over that way, and ye can't help it. But if the tree Is 
anywhere near straight, you can make it fall vv^here ye want 
to. Now suppose ye was to cut down that big tree there 



30 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



and make it fall over toward the 




Fig. 24 — "Two notches two foot apart" 

little more'n half way 
through. Then chop 
away on the right side 
until she falls. Get off to 
one side when she begins 
to crack (Fig. 25) and 
don't think of standing 
behind the tree, because 
the butt end might kick 
out backward and land 
ye one in the stomach. 
That's what ye've always 
got to look out fur. That 
and the bushes as might 
ketch yer ax." 



left. Ye'd start chopping 
on the left side ; but first 
ye'd clear away the 
bushes all 'round, so 
they wouldn't ketch your 
ax when you was a- 
swingin' it. Now that's 
a pretty big tree. It 
must be two foot 
through. So ye'd have 
to start with two notches, 
two foot apart (Fig. 24) 
and split away the wood 
between 'em, and keep on 
a-cuttin' until ye're a 




Get off to one side when she 
begins to crack " 



The Club House on the Lake 31 

Several days elapsed before we had cut and trimmed six- 
teen 8-foot piles each from 4 to 6 inches in diameter. The 
end of each pile was cut to a point, so that it could be driven 
into the bed of the pond more easily. Farmer FIthian hap- 
pened along just as we were about to float the logs to the 
site of our club-house. 

"Look a-here, boys. Don't try no fool games with them 
sticks. I ain't sayin' as there's much danger with small 
timbers, but ye might as well know, if ye're going to play 
lumbermen, that it's risky walking about on a lot of loose 
floating logs. They're liable to spread apart any minute, 
and leave ye drop in the water. Then they'll close over your 
head and ye've got to swim out from under the hull batch 
or drown. Ye've got to be mighty sure-footed running 
around on floatin' timber. But, shucks ! Them sticks is toa 
light fur to hold ye up anyhow." 

The Working Platform 

We explained to Farmer Fithian that we were going to 
tie the majority of our piles together in a raft and use It 
as a working platform, from which we could drive the other 
piles. But Farmer Fithian strongly advised against this, 
pointing out that if we started dancing on the plank, the 
raft would rock and maybe tip over, and we would be sure 
to get wet. At his advice then we procured a large packing 
box, weighted it with stone, and sank it at the spot where 
the lake house was to be built. The open top of the box 
projected 6 or 8 inches above the surface of the water, and 
a few boards nailed across it provided us with a fairly solid 
working platform. We proceeded as with the piles In our 
dam, driving the sticks into the bed of the lake by dancing 
on the planks. The boat was anchored securely near the 



32 



The SckntiHc American Boy at School 



box, and one of us standing in this held the pile while the 
rest of us did the driving. 

Laying Out a Rectangle 

Our house was to measure 12 feet wide and 8 feet deep, 
with a front porch 4 feet wide. Bill had figured out the 
^'ground" plan as in Fig. 26, showing the position of each 






il 



BRACESj 






J 






■BRACES; 



Fig. 26 — The "ground" plan showing the position of each pile 



pile. The first task then was to stake out a rectangle 1 2 feet 
square. Two stakes, A and 5, Fig. 27, were first driven 
into the bed of the pond 12 feet apart, and a cord was 



The Chih House on the Lake 



33 



^- 



Qfb 



stretched between them. This gave us a base line for the 
first row of piles. But how to get our side lines at right 
angles to the base line was a puzzle. Here Professor James 
came to our rescue. 

"If a rectangular figure Is 3 feet wide and 4 feet long, it 
will always measure 5 feet across corners," he said. "Re- 
member that: 3, 4, 5. Or, if you want to double the dimen- 
sions, 6, 8, 10, or, to triple them, 9, 12, 15. It makes no 
difference how large the figure; the proportions will always 
be the same." 

Under his directions then we drove a stake along our base 
line just 9 feet from the stake 
5, as indicated at C in the 
diagram. Then we tied a 
string to it, and also to the 
end stake B. The two strings 
were knotted together, one at 
a distance of 12 feet from 
stake B, and the other at a dis- 
tance of 15 feet from stake C. 
Then holding the knot in his 
hand. Professor James backed 
away to such a position that 
both cords were drawn equally taut. The 12-foot side was 
then at right angles to the base line, and we drove a stake D 
at the end of this side. The fourth corner E was found by 
measurixig 12 feet from the stake A and stake D. 

From our packing box as a working platform we drove 
four piles in a square at one corner of the rectangle. The 
piles were about 4 feet apart. They were temporarily con- 
nected by means of stringers, and boards were laid across 
them to form a new working base from which to drive the 




l9St 



lafb 



Fig. 27 — Staking out a rectangle 



34 The Scientific American Boy at School 

other piles. The packing box was then knocked to pieces, 
and hauled away. 

Triangles 

The platform did not prove to be as solid as we expected. 
It swayed when we jumped our pile driver, and threatened 
to collapse. Professor James showed us very graphically 




Fig. 28- — Bore it down to a diamond 
shape 




Fig. 29 — It stood firm 



what was the trouble. He took four light sticks and made 

a square frame, fastening them with a single nail in each 

corner. Then he stood the 

frame on end, and with a 

slight pressure of the hand 

on the top bore it down to 

a diamond shape, as shown 

by dotted lines in Fig. 28. 

Then he took three sticks 

and made a triangle In the 

same way, but when he tried 

to distort this it stood firm, 

no matter whether he press- 
Fig. 30 — "To make a square firm — i ^, • , . 

divide it into triangles " ^d the sidcs or the comcrs. 




The Club House on the Lake 



35 



(SR* 



"The triangle is the only figure that cannot be distorted 
without bending or breaking one or more of the sides. You 
saw how weak the square was. A five-sided figure would 
be even worse. The only way to make a square firm, is to 
divide it into tri- 
angles. If you fast- 
en a piece diagon- 
ally from one corner 
to the other, you 
will have two tri- 
angles, ABC and 
ADC (Fig. 30)- 
If you put in two 
diagonals, your 




Fig. 31 — "Connect each pair of piles with a 
diagonal brace" 



square will be made up of four triangles and Will be 
stronger yet, because the smaller the triangles the stronger 
they are. Now if you are going to make your working plat- 
form solid, you will have to connect each pair of piles with 

a diagonal brace, so as to get 
the triangular construction 
that I have been talking 
about." 

This proved to be a very 
troublesome task, because the 
lower end of the braces had 
to be nailed fast under water. 
It was then getting late in the 
year and the water was too 
cold for comfort, so we drew 
straws for the one who should 
do the under-water hammer- 
ing. "Sneezer" was the unlucky chap, and he had to wade 




Fig. 3; 



— Nailed a brace to each pile 
before it was driven 



3^ 



The ScientHic American Box at School 



in and nail the lower ends of the braces to the piles under- 
neath the surface. This done, our platform was as solid as 
could be desired. 

From the platform as a base we drove as many piles as 
we could conveniently reach. Then we extended the plat- 
form over the piles just driven, and from this new base 
drove more piles. Thus the platform was extended until 
the entire foundation of piles had been driven. Profiting 




Fig. 33 — Four separate piers supporting the floor 

by our experience with the first set of diagonal braces, we 
nailed a brace to each pile before it was driven (see Fig. 
32), and after the pile was down In place the upper end 
of this brace was nailed to the next pile. The four piles at 
each corner were then braced, making four separate piers. 
(See Figs. 26 and 33.) By consulting Fig. 26, it will be 
observed that certain of the braces had to be fastened to 
the Inner side of the piles, so as not to be in the way of the 
stringers. 

The Floor of the Lake House 

The working platform, which had so far been built on 
the piles, was only of a temporary character. When all 



The Club House on the Lake 37 

the piles had been driven, this platform was removed and 
a permanent floor was laid. First we nailed the stringers 
or floor beams to the sides of the piles. These floor beams 
were 2-inch planks, 6 inches wide and 12 feet long, which 
we bought especially for the purpose. The piles were cut 
to a depth of an inch or more at the side, to provide a flat 
bearing surface for the planks. After the planks had been 
nailed on, we sawed off the ends of such piles as projected 
above the floor beams, after which we proceeded to nail 
down the flooring. Instead of slab boards, i-inch planks 
were used here, because we wanted to have a solid founda- 
tion for our house. 

The Frame of the House 

The floor done, we started immediately to work on the 
house proper. For the corner posts 2 x 4-inch scantlings 
were used. These were cut to a length of 7 feet. We set 
them up in place, with their lower ends nailed to the floor, 
as shown in Fig. 34, while near the top they were tem- 
porarily fastened together with slab boards. The two front 
posts, A, were now connected at the upper end by means of 
a board, B, 6 inches wide by i inch thick. The bottom of 
the board was just 6 feet from the floor. The two rear 
posts were similarly connected, and at exactly the same 
height. To make the frame more substantial, corner pieces 
{C, Fig. 34) were nailed to the foot of each post, and diag- 
onal braces were temporarily fastened from one post to the 
other. 

Then we made four triangular frames for the roof, like 
that shown in Fig, '^^. The horizontal beam or chord, D, 
was 14 feet long over all, and the two inclined rafters, E, 
were 83/2 feet long. They were fastened together so that 



38 



The ScicutiHc American Boy at School 



the peak of the triangle was just 4 feet above the chord D. 

After we had made sure that all the frames were exactly 

alike, the projecting points, 
which are shown in dotted 
lines in the illustration, were 
sawed off. Two roof frames 
were now set up on the wall 
plates, B, one at each end, and 
nailed to the projecting cor- 
ner posts, A. At each end of 
the house two more posts, F 
and G, were set up, but these 
were over 9 feet long, so that 
they would reach up to the 
slanting rafters, to which they 
were nailed as well as to the 
chords. (See Fig. 36.) The 
two posts G marked the front 
corners of the house, and they 
were connected by a wall plate 
H to help support the rafters. 
" - - Two other o-foot posts were 

Fig:. 34— A corner post i r r i 

set up along the rront or the 
house about 4 feet apart, and the plate H was nailed to them, 





Fig. 3 5 — One of the roof frames 



The Club House on the Lake 



39 




Fig. 36 — Side elevation of the frame work 




Fig. 37 — A front view of the frame work 



40 The Scientific American Boy at School 

and then opposite them at the rear of the house two 63^-foot 
posts were erected and secured to the rear wall plate B. We 
were now ready to set up the remaining roof frames, which 
were fastened as shown in Fig. 37. 

At each end of the house a 2-inch square strip, K, was 
nailed from post G to post F, and another from there to 
the rear post A to form the bottom of the window frames. 
They were then connected to similar strips, L, above, by two 
studs, /, which formed the sides of the windows. At the 
front of the house two similar window frames were built 
on each side of the door, and for the door frame one more 
upright post, M, was required. 

Putting on the Clapboards 

We w-ere now ready to put on the sheathing. Slab- 
boards were used for this purpose, and they were laid on 
like clapboards, beginning with the bottom one and run- 
ning on up to the eaves with each board overlapping the 
board below. At the door and window frames the clap- 
boards were, of course, cut away. 

The roof was covered in the same way, but with a better 

class of board to insure 
V,,. a dry house. We started 
at the eaves, lapping the 
boards one over the 
other up to the peak. A 
strip of tar paper was 

Fig. 38— Tar paper was laid over the J^id OVCr the ridge of 

ridge of the roof 

the roof to keep it from 
leaking, and for the sake of appearances we covered the 
paper with a pair of clapboards. Our window sashes and 
casings we managed to pick up from a builder for a 




The Club House on the Lake 



41 



mere song. The door of our house was of the simplest 
type, and needs no special description. We lined the walls 
on the inside with burlap, over which building paper was 
tacked. This made a cheap but efficient wall covering that 
kept the house cosy and warm. 

The Chimney Opening 

We managed to get hold of an old sheet-iron wood stove, 
which was set up in the house with the stovepipe running 
out through the roof. We 
had a good deal of difficulty 
in keeping the round open- 
ing through the roof for 
the stovepipe from leaking. 
The difficulty was finally 
overcome by getting a small 
square box, which was fitted 
into a square opening in 
the roof. Through this the 
stovepipe was passed, and 
then the box was packed 
with asbestos around the 
stovepipe, so as to prevent 
danger of fire in case the stove became too hot. 




Fig. 39 — The box was packed 
with asbestos 



CHAPTER V. 

A CHAPTER OF SURPRISES' 

Our club house was done at last, and so important an 
event could not pass without some sort of a celebration. 
"Let's have a midnight banquet," suggested "Doc," and 
dedicate the house to the Sacred Scarabeus. 

"Professor James won't stand for that!" cried Bill. 

"Oh, bother Professor James! Let's sneak out just this 
once. It will be lots more fun than anything we've done yet, 
and he won't know anything about it." 

The plan seemed very alluring. There is such a delight- 
ful mystery about midnight feasts. Some of us favored 
telling Professor James, feeling sure that he would enter 
into the plan, but then, as "Doc" pointed out, "there ain't 
any fun in it if there ain't any danger of getting found out." 
Bill put the question to a vote, and it was decided against 
Professor James. 

"Jumbo," who was on the best side of the cook, managed 
to wheedle some provisions from her, and Roy sneaked 
down town for the rest of our eatables. We laid in a fine 
supply, because this was to be no ordinary banquet. There 
were as yet no furnishings in the lake house, and it took 
some pretty clever maneuvering to make off with seven 
chairs and a table from the school after dark without being 
detected by the other boys or by any of the teachers. 

Midnight 

Just as the clock struck twelve that night, seven boys, 
fully dressed, except for the shoes they had in their hands, 






f,,!,///i'yfjr"^ 



A Chapter of Surprises 



43 










44 The Scientific American Boy at School 

cautiously opened their doors and stole down the hall. With 
the recollection of our first night's experience, we did not 
propose to risk the creaky board in front of Professor 
James's room. Bill had discovered in a corner of the barn 
the rope ladder which we had used on our midnight expedi- 
tions of the previous years, and with the aid of this ladder 
we climbed down from the roof of the annex to the ground. 
It was a raw night, and a fine drizzle filled the air. So 
black was it, that we had to feel our way like blind men 
through the woods back of the Academy grounds. When 
we emerged from them, we could scarcely make out where 
we were. Our course among the trees had been a very cir- 
cuitous one, and landed us some distance from the point we 
were aiming for. But soon we caught the faint glow of the 
corner street light struggling through the thick fog, and we 
groped our way toward it. 

"Did you hear that?" whispered Bill suddenly. "Some- 
body's coming after us." 

There was a sound of footsteps and the murmur of voices. 
We ran panic stricken for the bushes that lined the side- 
walk. The footsteps came nearer and the talking grew 
louder. Soon a group of figures loomed out the fog and 
passed close by us. 

The Mulligans 

"Now, what the dickens do you suppose they're up to 
this time of night?" I whispered. "Who are they?" asked 
Bill. "Why, didn't you recognize Pat Mulligan and his 
gang? They're bent on mischief, Til have you know." We 
were in no mood to attack the Mulligans if a fight could be 
avoided, and so lay quiet until they had passed 'out of 
hearing. 



A Chapter of Surprises 45 

Anticipating some difficulty in finding our way through 
the thicket at night, we had anchored our boat at the dam 
instead of at our secret dock. Toward the dam then we 
wended our way. As we neared the water, we heard the 
Mulhgans ahead of us. 

"Stop them, fellows!" cried Bill. "They're stealing our 
boat." And we charged upon them at double quick. But we 
were too late. The Mulligans had already launched the 
boat, and were well out on the water. They were carry- 
ing on like mad, too, splashing around and making a 
terrible noise. Apparently they hadn't heard us, or they 
would have stood off and taunted us. 

What were we to do now? and how In the world had they 
found our boat? It was a breathless and excited group that 
discussed these questions. We had anchored it behind a 
bush, so that It could not be seen from the road. They 
must have been spying on us, and no doubt they saw us 
laying In our provisions. Else, why would they have picked 
out this of all nights for their raid? 

"If it weren't so blamed cold, I'd swim out and get that 
boat after they land at the lake house," said "Sneezer"; 
and then we could take them by storm and chuck them into 
the pond." 

"Oh, I'm not afraid of the cold," declared Roy. "I'll 
bring back the boat." But he changed his mind when he 
had thrust his bare foot Into the water to test Its tempera- 
ture. Besides, a swim In the dark, when the fog was so 
thick that you could not see your hand before your face, 
required a little more nerve than even Roy possessed. 

Meanwhile the boat was not making much progress 
toward the lake house. They must have lost their bear- 
ings, because the racket seemed to grow nearer. We could 



46 The Scientific American Boy at School 

hear them fighting over the oars, which they were using to 
splash water on each other rather than to make progress 
toward the house. Presently we heard a fellow cry out 
that one of the oars was lost. Then suddenly all the noise 
was smothered in one tremendous splash, followed a mo- 
ment later by a chorus of spitting and spluttering curses. 
They had upset the boat, and it was now our inning. 

An Ambush 

"Keep quiet," Bill whispered, "and we'll give them such 
a dose as will teach them never to monkey with our prop- 
erty again." We could hear Pat Mulligan swimming off 
toward the left, calling to the rest to follow him. "He's 
heading for the brambles," whispered "Jumbo." "He'll 
have the dickens of a time getting through that thicket. All 
they can do is to wade along the edge of the p'^nd until they 
come back here." 

"That's right," said Bill. "We'll lie in ambush at the 
edge of the thicket. Don't stir until I give you the word. 
Then whoop it up for all you're worth, and give them the 
fight of their lives. We'll know the enemy by their wet 
clothes." Three of us hid along the edge of the thicket, 
and the rest crouched down along the shore a little way off, 
so that we could head off the Mulligans and attack them 
from both sides. 

Put to Rout 

A few minutes later we heard them wading toward us, 
shivering with the cold, and each one blaming the other for 
upsetting the boat. As they cleared the thicket and came 
to shore, Bill and I closed in behind them. Then with a 
yell that would have sent the shivers through an Apache 



A Chapter of Surprises 47 

Indian we swooped in upon them. We had them on the 
run from the start. There was no fight left in that gang. 
They just "piked" for home as fast as they could make it. 
We chased them as far as the Academy grounds, pitching 
and falling over each other and them in the darkness. Sud- 
denly I heard "Jumbo" yelling, "Help, quick! I've got Pat 
Mulligan!" We hurried back to find him sitting on his 
victim's head, struggling desperately to hold him down. 

"You blamed chump!" came a smothered voice from 
beneath. "Get off, I tell you, I'm no Mulligan." 

Almost helpless from laughter I dragged "Jumbo" off 
our illustrious president. My! but wasn't he mad! 

"I told you fellows to go for the wet clothes, and here 
this 'Jumbo' elephant tripped me up and fell on me before 
I could get my feet again." 

"Jumbo" may have been stupid, but the joke was on Bill 
after all, and our laughter didn't improve his frame of 
mind. 

With our boat lost the banquet was out of the question, 
but we had had about enough fun for one night, and it was 
with no regret that we groped our way up the rope ladder 
to the roof of the annex and took off our shoes and then 
crept stealthily into the hall window. 

The Light in the Hall 

Suddenly a light flashed up in the hall, and there under 
the lamp was Professor James. Not a word did he say as 
we passed in shame-faced review before him to our rooms. 

The next day we waited all day for an invitation, not to 
Professor James's own room, but to his office. 

When school was over we went down to our lake, and 
found the boat stranded bottom up against the dam. One 



48 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



of the oars was close by, but the other had been washed 
over the dam, and after a long hunt we discovered it quite 
a way down stream. The boat was pretty well battered 
up, and many scars bore testimony to the ill-treatment which 




Fig. 41 — Stranded bottom up against the dam 

it had received. But we were delighted to find that It was 
perfectly sound and did not leak a drop. 

We rowed across to the club house, and talked over our 
experiences. Not a word had been said to us by Professor 
James, and this surprising attitude was the chief topic of 
conversation. We would have felt better if he had given us 
a lecture, but his silence, and above all his very evident sense 
of disappointment in us, was more than we could stand. 



A Chapter of Surprises 49 

"We didn't treat him square," was the consensus of the 
club; "and it's up to us to make good." A resolution was 
drawn up in which we clearly stated what we had done and 
our reasons, and in which we begged Professor James to 
pardon us. 

A Daylight Banquet 

The victuals which we had gathered for our feast were 
untouched, and such of them as were not liable to grow 
stale we planned to use at a feast on the following after- 
noon. As a postscript we asked Professor James to come 
to this feast in token of reconciliation. Professor James 
accepted our invitation in a formal note to our president, 
but he did not mention our spree of the night before, nor 
was any reference made to it thereafter. And so it hap- 
pened that there was no midnight dedication feast, but a 
well-ordered daylight banquet at which we had no end of 
fun, for Professor James was at his best and soon broke 
down the strained relations which had existed between us. 



CHAPTER VI. 
THE MODERN ORDER OF ANCIENT ENGINEERS 

In the meantime "Doc" and I were putting in all our 
spare moments on ancient history. It seemed best to model 
our club after the Egyptians, because we had already 
adopted the Egyptian scarabeus, or sacred beetle, as our 
club emblem. 

There were seven offices to be provided, Professor James 
having declined a title because he did not take a very active 
part In the club. The highest office was that of Pharaoh, 
whose power extended over every other office, and naturally 
Bill was the one to occupy this responsible position. I was 
chosen to fill the office of Visler, a sort of secretary and 
right-hand man to Pharaoh, with supervisory power over all 
the other offices except that of the Chief Priest. Of course, 
we had to have an Arch Priest and Astrologer, and there 
was no question as to who should fill this position. "Doc" 
was the slickest sleight-of-hand performer I had ever seen 






Fig. 4J — R;imti.ts 



Amenophis 



Amenhotep 



The Modern Order of Ancient Engineers 



51 



off the stage, and a pretty good ventriloquist too. He was 
always up to tricks of one sort or another, and all these 
qualifications were most essential to one who was to be the 
priest of the Sacred Scarabeus. The old Egyptians often 
found it necessary to perform miracles, and they had to 
resort to all sorts of tricks to hoodwink the public. The 
priests were the first scientists. Science was their stock in 
trade. It helped them mystify the people. Hence, "Doc" 
would have to represent the scientific end of our club, par- 
ticularly experimental physics. 

The other four nobles in our society were the Chief Ad- 
miral and Naval Architect, the Chief Engineer, the Chief 
Craftsman, and the Chief Artist. Each one of us took an 
Egyptian name, and so the roll call of the club with the 
official titles was as follows: 

Bill Rameses Pharaoh. 

Jim Amenhotep Vizier. 

"Doc" Amenophis Arch Priest and Astrologer. 

Roy Ahmosis.. Chief Admiral. 

"Sneezer" Menes Chief Engineer. 

"Jumbo" Unis Chief Craftsman. 

"Jig" Sonches Chief Artist. 







UnSs 



Ahmosis 



Menes 



Sonches 



52 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



Each officer had his official seal, consisting of hierogly- 
phics that we had picked out of a book on Egypt. Of course, 
we did not know what they meant, but they were chosen for 
their artistic effect. 

The Rogues' Gallery 

"Jig," whose task it was to ornament the lake house, made 
a portrait of each member of the club, and arranged them 
in sort of a "rogues' gallery" along the rear wall of the 







Fig. 43 — Drew an outline of the shadow 



room. He drew them all in Egyptian style, with the should- 
ers squared as if in a front view and the rest of the body in 
profile. In order to have the pictures really look like us, 



The Modern Order of Ancient Engineers 



S2 



he made a "shadowgraph" of each face. The subject stood 
in the lake house close to one of the front windows. A 
lamp was placed before him, so as to throw a shadow of 
his profile on the window pane. "Jig" stood out on the 
porch, and holding a sheet of thin paper against the glass 
pane drew an outline of the shadow. 
The Pantograph 
The silhouettes that "Jig" made in this way were larger 
than life size, and they had to be reduced to convenient 



^h/f 



tF 



G 



D/ 



Fig. 44 — The pantagraph 



H- 



proportions by means of a pantagraph. This was con- 
structed out of four sticks, each 20 inches long, as shown in 
Fig. 44. 

The sticks A and B were pivoted together with a screw. 



54 The Scientific American Boy at School 

The sticks C and D were also pivoted together, biit instead 
of using a screw they were provided with a hole through 
which a pencil E was passed, forming the piv^ot. At inter- 
vals of an inch along the four sticks holes were drilled and 
numbered, as shown in the illustration. The numbers on 
stick A started from the pivot, while on stick B they ran 
toward the pivot. On stick C the numbers ran toward the 
pencil E, while on stick D they started from the pencil. 
The two pairs of sticks were connected by means of screw 
eyes F, which were passed through the holes of the same 
number. At the end of stick A a piece of wood, G, was 
fastened with a screw, and was provided with screw eyes, 
as shown, which could be screwed into the drawing board 
to make this end fast. At the end of stick B there was a 
hole to receive a tracing point H. When this was run over 
the lines of the silhouette, the pencil E traced a similar out- 
line, but on a much smaller scale than the original. If the 
connections of the pantagraph were made at holes of a 
larger number the reduction was greater, and if at holes of 
a smaller number the reduction was less. By connecting, for 
instance, hole 4 with hole 1 2, or some other odd combination, 
the resulting outline drawn by the pencil at E would be a 
distorted reproduction or caricature of the original traced 
at H. By putting the tracing point at E and the pencil at H, 
enlargements could be made. 

Drawing One's Own Silhouette 

"Jig" made out all right with our shadows, but when it 
came to drawing his own silhouette, he found it a decidedly 
different task. We offered to make the tracing for him, but 
no, he wouldn't let us meddle with his work. He pinned a 
piece of paper to the wall, placed a lamp on the table di- 



The Modern Order of Ancient Engineers 55 

rectly before it, and seated himself close to the wall, so that 
his head cast a strong shadow on the paper. Then, with a 
mirror in his left hand and a pencil in the other, he started 
to outline his shadow. I say "started," but he could not 
even do that at first, because his pencil seemed to wander 
everywhere but in the right direction. Of course, the mir- 
ror reversed everything, and made it look as though the 
pencil should be moved to the right when in reality it should 
have been moved to the left. In addition to this difficulty, 
the pencil kept getting in the way of his eyes, so that he 
could not see the line he was trying to follow. It was a 
pretty confusing performance, and we had lots of sport 
watching him, but "Jig" was persevering, and finally suc- 
ceeded fairly well. Then we all had to try the trick, and 
found it very puzzling indeed. Not a bad entertainment, 
by the way, for an evening party. 

Official Seals 

The silhouettes all drawn, and reduced with the panta- 
graph, the next task was to draw the rest of each figure in 
Egyptian costume. Pharaoh, of course, was pictured as 
seated on a throne, but the rest of us were shown standing. 
The profiles were so true to life that it was easy enough to 
recognize the different members without reading their 
names and titles below. The official seal of each officer was 
placed in the right-hand upper corner of each portrait. The 
principal figures on Pharaoh's seal were the lion, which signi- 
fied strength, and a fly to indicate his persistence. The 
Vizier's seal contained a hawk, denoting boldness, and a 
dog, for devotion to Pharaoh. In "Doc's" seal there was 
an owl, representing wisdom, and a bat to show his con- 
nection with the black art. A fox and a snake represented 



56 The Scientific American Boy at School 

the skill and ingenuity of our Chief Craftsman. Our Chief 
Admiral had a duck in his seal, also a crocodile, to show 
that he was the king of the water. The Chief Engineer 
had a pyramid, representing his skill in constructional work, 
and a goat to show his ability to overcome obstacles; while 
the Chief Artist had a dove, representing works of peace, 
and a turtle to signify his perseverance. 




Fig. 45 — He had drawn an immense scarabeus 

Outside of the lake house over the doorway "Jig" nailed 
a board on which he had drawn an immense scarabeus in 
true Egyptian style, with wings spread out and standing on 
a globe and holding the sun with his forelegs. 

The Workbench 

In the meantime our Chief Craftsman was at work fit- 
ting up a workbench in one corner of the lake house. He 
had quite a complete workshop there before he got through. 
First he made a frame like that shown in Fig. 46. One of 
the uprights or posts was a 2 x 4-inch scantling, while the 
other was cut from a 2 x 8-inch plank. The posts were con- 
nected at the top and bottom, and braced with diagonal 
strips. The wide post was to serve as the stationary jaw of 
the bench vise, as indicated at J, Fig. 47. For the other end 
of the bench another frame was made exactly like the first, 
with the exception of the wide post. The two frames were 



The Modern Order of Ancient Engineers 57 





Fig. 46 — Frame for the left end 
of the workbench 



Fig. 47— The left end of the 
workbench 




Fig. 48 — Front view of the workbench with the lathe attached 



58 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



connected at the rear by means of boards B about 6 feet 
long, and they were braced with diagonal strips C ( Figs. 48 

and 49). At the front a 
board D was used to connect 
the frames. "Jumbo" ex- 
pected to rig up a lathe on 
this bench, and therefore the 
board D was nailed to the 
bottom of the lower horizon- 
tal frame pieces, so as to be 
out of the way of the treadle 
of the lathe. The top planks 
of the bench were now nailed 
to the frames. They were 
spaced apart at the center, 
leaving a slot an inch wide, 
the purpose of which will be 
explained presently. A plank 
E, 12 inches wide, was secured 
to the side of the bench over- 
lapping the edge of the for- 
ward top plank, to which it was nailed. This gave us a 
very substantial construction. 

The Bench Vise 

For the movable jaw F of the vise we took a i^-inch 
plank 8 inches wide. Near the bottom we nailed a wooden 
piece G, which was to serve as the heel. The heel was made 
fast by what is called toe nailing, that is, the nails were 
driven through the end of the heel diagonally into the face 
of the jaw. Before the bench had been put together, a 
slot was cut In the front post A to receive this heel. The 




Sect) 



A A 



Fig. 49 — A section through the 
bench and lathe 



The Modern Order of Ancient Engineers 



59 



slot was made by boring two holes In the post and then cut- 
ting out the wood between them. Holes were bored Into 
the heel for a peg, which kept the heel from being forced 
Into the slot when the vise was screwed up. The vise screw 
and nut were bought at the hardware store, and were fas- 
tened In place about 9 Inches below the top of the bench. 

An Egyptian Lathe 

The primitive lathe which "Jumbo" rigged up on the 
bench was made as follows : Out of a heavy stick of oak he 
cut two blocks, H, like those shown In Fig. 50. These were 
to be the head and tail stocks of the lathe. In the bottom 
of each block he bored a hole and chiseled It out square, so 

that he could just drive 
the head of a bolt In it. 
The shank of the bolt he 
passed through a stick /, 
which he nailed to the 
bottom of the block. 
This stick was just wide 
enough to fit in the slot 
between the top planks of 
the bench. The blocks 
were locked at any point 
along the bench top by means of thumb nuts K and broad 
washers L on the bolts. A long bolt was fitted into each 
block, with the end projecting from the front face of the 
block. A nut M was screwed onto the projecting end, and 
the latter was filed to a point to form a center on which 
the work was to be revolved. "Jumbo" was careful to 
have the centers both in line with each other, so that the 
points would meet when the blocks were brought together. 




Fig. 50 — ^The head and tail stocks 
of the lathe 



6o 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



To the ceiling above the bench he fastened a slender pole 
or sapling, with one end free. A light rope tied to this free 
end passed down through a notch in the bench to a board A^, 
which served as a treadle. 

When he desired to use the lathe, he would take a turn 
of the rope about a piece of wood and center the piece be- 
tween the pins in the blocks, as shown in Fig. 51, after which 
the blocks were locked in place. The rope was run along 




Fig. 51 — A general view of the Egyptian lathe 

the piece in such a way that when "Jumbo" pressed his foot 
on the treadle, the piece would turn toward him. Whenever 
he released the treadle, the sapling would pull up the rope 
and turn the work in the opposite direction. He used a 
block of wood O as a rest for his chisel. At each down 
stroke of the treadle the chisel would cut the wood, but on 
the recover it would slide over without cutting it. With 



The Modern Order of Ancient Engineers 



6i 



this primitive lathe, copied from an old Egyptian tablet, 
"Jumbo" managed to turn out some pretty clever work. 

A Bow Drill 

In addition to the lathe, "Jumbo" made a couple of drills 
also of primitive pattern. One was the well-known bow 
drill, such as shown in Fig. 52. For the spindle of the drill 
he used ^-inch gas pipe about 12 inches long. First he 
made a socket in the lower end of the pipe to receive the 
square shank of the bit. This was done 
as shown in Fig. ^1,. The pipe P was 
strapped to a board after a plug Q had 
been driven into it to a depth of about 
an inch below the end. A bit R was then 
fastened to the board, with its shank 
centered in the end of the pipe P. The 
shank was coated with lampblack mixed 




84 



'R 




Fig. 52 — The well-known 
bow drill 



Fig. 53 — Making a 
square socket in 
the pipe 



with oil. " Graphite would have been better, but "Jumbo" 
did not have it at hand. When everything was ready, 
as shown, he melted some Babbitt metal in the stove 
and poured it into the end of the pipe E, filling the 
pipe up to the top. When this had cooled, the bit R 
was knocked out, leaving a square socket in the Babbitt 



62 The Scientific American Boy at School 

metal. At the opposite end of the pipe P he fastened the 
cone point, S, made by whitthng a top to fit. A block of 
wood T, with a depression in it to receive the point of the 
cone, was used to steady the upper end of the spindle while 
it was being operated. The spindle was revolved by means 
of a bow U, the string of which was wrapped around the 
pipe, as shown in Fig. 52. By holding the block T with one 
hand, and moving the bow U back and forth, the spindle 
was made to revolve first in one direction and then in the 
other. Unfortunately, an ordinary auger bit could not be 
used with this type of drill, because on the return stroke 
of the bow the screw would be unscrewed from the wood. 
However, twist drills worked to perfection because they 
are not drawn into the wood by a screw tip at the end, 
but are fed merely by the pressure on the block T. 

Twisted Cord Drill 

Another form of drill was made, as shown in Fig. 54. 
This required a flywheel on the spindle. "Jumbo" man- 
aged to get hold of a large valve wheel ir, which was made 
fast to the spindle by means of Babbitt metal, as shown in 
Fig. ^^. A hole was drilled through a board F to fit the 
pipe snugly. The pipe was battered just above the board, 
so that it would hold the Babbitt metal. The wheel was 
now placed over the pipe' and centered, after which the 
Babbitt metal was poured into the hub around the pipe P, 
as shown. A plug of wood was driven into the upper end 
of the pipe P, and a screw eye was threaded into it. A cross- 
piece X was provided with a hole in the center, so that it 
could be slipped over the pipe P. A cord tied to the screw 
eye was fastened at opposite ends to the ends of the cross- 
piece X. The crosspiece was first twisted around, coiling 



The Modern Order of Ancient Engineers 



(>3 



the cord around the spindle, as shown In Fig. 54. Then, 
when the crosspiece X was pressed down, the spindle would 
be spun around by the unwinding cord. The flywheel JV 
would keep the drill spinning until the cord was wound up 





Fig. 54 — A twisted cord 

drill 



Fig. 55 — Fastening the flywheel 
to the drill spindle 



in the opposite direction, raising the crosspiece X again, so 
that when it was pressed down a second time, the spindle 
would be revolved again, but in the reverse direction. So, 
by intermittently pressing the crosspiece X downward, the 
spindle was kept spinning first one way and then the other. 



CHAPTER VII. 

A " PEDAL-PADDLE-BOAT " 

One of the first things we did after getting our lake 
house built was to fit up the "Lady Bug" with a pair of 
paddle wheels arranged so that they could be operated by 
a bicycle. The plan as originally figured out by Roy Ah- 
mosis, Chief Admiral and Naval Architect, was to fasten 
the bicycle in the boat with the rear wheel raised off the 
floor, so that It would turn freely, and to run a belt from this 
wheel to a pulley on the shaft of the paddle wheel. Of 
course, the rear tire would have to be removed and the belt 
would run on the concave rim of the wheel. It seemed 
like a very good scheme, but there was one serious objection 
to it. The bicycle once mounted in the boat could not 
readily be removed, and not only would it soon get badly 
rusted, if thus exposed night and day, but the owner would 
be deprived of its use. 

Friction Drive 

We had already built the paddle wheels for the boat be- 
fore the question of sacrificing the bicycle came up. No one 
volunteered his wheel for this purpose, and it seemed as 
if the elaborate plans we had made for a power-driven 
boat were about to fall through. Then Bill worked out an 
Ingenious arrangement by which not only the bicycle but 
the paddle wheels as well could be removed from the boat 
or set In place at a moment's notice. This left the boat 
free for the use of oars instead of pedal power whenever 
desired, but best of all It was not necessary to take off the 



A "Pcdal-Paddle-Boat' 



65 



rear tire of the bicycle, because a friction drive was used in 
place of the belt. It made it possible for any one of 
us to set his wheel in the boat and pedal about over the 
water, and on coming to shore lift the wheel out of the 
boat and ride off. 

How the Rollers Were Made 

The rear wheel of the bicycle rested on two rollers, A 
and B, mounted in brackets secured to a plank, as shown 




Fig. 56 — ^The friction rollers mounted on a plank 

in Fig. 56, which was laid in the bottom of the boat. Each 
roller was made as follows: From a plank i^ inch thick 
we cut four pieces, each 10 inches square. Then we 
sawed off the four corners, making the piece octagonal 
(Fig. 57). After that we cut off the eight corners, which 

made the piece sixteen-sided. 
Then with a draw knife the 
angles were trimmed down so 
as to true the edge to a perfect 
circle 10 inches in diameter. The 
'im of each disk was now beveled 
off to a diameter about 7^ 
inches, so that when two disks 
were put together they would 

Fig. 57— We sawed off the . ^ ,, . , tt , , 

four comers form a roller with a V-shaped 




66 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



groove in it. The two disks were firmly fastened together 
with screws, and a %-inch hole was drilled through the roller 
exactly at the center of the axle. A smaller V-grooved roller, 
D, was made in the same way as the roller B, to which it was 

fastened, making a 
double roller as shown in 
Fig, 58. Four brackets 
were then cut out of hard 
wood, shaped as shown 
in Fig. ^6. Each roller 
was journaled between a 
pair of these brackets on 
a ^-inch bolt, and the 
brackets in turn were nailed to the plank with the combined 
roller and pulley at the rear. The distance from center to 
center of the rollers was fully 22 inches, and the rear 
wheel of the bicycle was supported by them. 




A Swivel Bearing 

For the forward wheel of the bicycle a swivel bearing 
was made. We cut out of a 2 x 4-inch scantling a piece 
about 12 inches long. One edge of this piece was hollowed 
out to fit against the tire of the wheel and then a board, F, 

was nailed against each side, 
making a shallow trough, as 
shown in Fig. 59. A hole was 
drilled through the center of the 
trough, and a bolt was fitted into 
It with the head sunk below the 
Fig. 59-A sliailow trough ^^ri^cc and the shank projecting 

through. A block of wood, G, Fig. 61, about 6 inches square 




A "Pedal-Paddle-Boat" 



67 




68 The Scientific American Boy at School 

and an inch thick, was nailed to the bottom of the trough and 
the bolt passed through this and a larger 20-inch board, 
H. The nut on the bolt was screwed up until the board 
fitted snugly against the block but yet was free to swivel 
without too much play. Then a second nut was screwed 
onto the bolt and jammed against the first one, to prevent 
it from working loose. 

The trough was now fitted to the front wheel of the 
bicycle, and made fast with a strap that was nailed to 
the side of the trough. The bicycle was then lifted bodily 
and placed on the plank (Fig. 56) with the rear wheel 
resting on the two rollers, and a mark was made at the 
point where the bolt touched the plank. Here a large 
hole was cut through the plank to receive the bolt and 
nuts, and then the board H was nailed down. In order to 

get the plank into the boat and 
make room for the bicycle, we had 
to take out one of the seats. The 
aft rower's seat was accordingly 
made removable. The seat was 
fitted at each end between one of 

Fig. 62-Two buttons J held the ^^^ ^.j^^g ^^^ ^ ^j^^j^ j -pwO but- 
seat board down i • i r i i 

tons, /, one at each side of the boat, 
held the seatboard down (Fig. 62), but they could be 
turned up to let the seat be drawn out over the blocks. 

The Paddle WTieels 

Our paddle wheels were 3 feet in diameter; each wheel 
required eight i-inch boards, 4 inches wide and 3 feet 
long. The boards were fitted together in pairs to form 
four crosses. The two boards of each cross were halved 




A " Pedal-Paddle-Boat' 



69 



Fig. 63 — The boards were halved together 



together (Fig. 62,) > Two 
crosses were now nailed 
together, with the arms 
of one halving the angles 
between the others. The 
other two crosses were 
similarly fastened to- 
gether, so that we had 
two 8-spoked wheels but 
without rims. The two 
sets of spokes were laid 
one over the other, and a 
hole was drilled through 



both for the paddle shaft. The holes were cut 2 inches 
square with a chisel. The two wheels were now connected 
by means of paddle blades K, 5 inches wide and 12 inches 




Fig. 64 — One of the paddle wheels 



70 



TJic Sciciifific American Bo\ at School 



long (Fig. 64). The paddle wheels were mounted on a 
wooden shaft 2 inches square, and held In place by means of 
two wooden pins one at each side of the wheel, driven Into 




■ L 



L 



'K 



f-> 



Fig. 65 — A section taken through the rear of the boat 

holes in the shaft. At the center of the shaft there was a 
pulley M (Fig. 6^), with a V-groove, made like the rollers 
of two disks of wood nailed together. This pulley also had 




Fig. 66 — A journal block 



"XZ ^m''"''!'' 



iJ-iJE^ 



Fig. 67 — Where the shaft was journaled 
it was cut round 



a square hole at the center to fit the square shaft. A rope 
belt connected the pulley M with the pulley D; but this belt 
had to be crossed as shown in Fig. 61 so that when the 
pedals were operated In the usual way the paddle wheels 



A " Pedal-Paddle-Boat' 



71 



would revolve In the right direction. The shaft was jour- 
naled to the boat in a pair of blocks such as indicated in Fig. 
66^ which were fastened to the gunwales. At the points 
where the shaft was journaled it was cut round (Fig. 67), 
in "Jumbo's" lathe, but the lathe bed had to be extended 
to take so long a piece. To hold the shaft in the notches in 
the blocks a button A^ was pivoted to each block. When 
we wanted to take the paddle wheels out of the boat, the 
buttons were merely turned to one side, permitting us to 
lift the shaft out bodily. 

The Rudder 
The "Lady Bug" was fitted with a rudder cut out of a 
12-inch board to the shape shown in Fig. 68, and hinged to 
the sternpost. A tiller or yoke was fastened to the top 
of the rudder. This consisted of a cross piece in which 
three holes were drilled as indicated by dotted lines and 
then cut to form a slot in which the upper end of the 

rudder blade was snugly fitted. 
A pin held the yoke in place, 
as shown in Fig. 69. The 
tiller ropes ran through pul- 
leys at each side of the boat, 
and were fastened to the front 





Fig. 68 — The rudder blade and yoke 



Fig. 69— A pin held the 
yoke in place 



72 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



bicycle wheel, as shown in Fig. 60. As the trough in which 
the wheel was secured was mounted so that it could swivel, 
the bicycle rider could swing the rudder whichever way he 
pleased by turning the wheel this way or that. 

The Bicycle Support 

To hold the bicycle erect in the boat we provided two 
braces P (Fig. 70), which were hinged to the sides of the 
boat, and at their upper ends were formed with hooks 
which could be caught over the bicycle frame just under the 




Fig. 70 — ^The bicycle support 



seat. The pins R, with which these braces were hinged to 
the boat, could be drawn out, enabling us to remove the 
braces whenever we wanted to convert the "pedal-paddle- 
boat" as we called it, into a common, ordinary, everyday 
rowboat. When the plank was placed in tKe boat a block 
S (Fig, 61) kept it from working toward the stern and 
easing the necessary tension on the driving belt. 



CHAPTER VIII. 
SURVEYING THE LAKE 

"We ought to rig up some sort of a scheme to keep the 
Mulligan gang out of here," said Chief Admiral Roy 
Ahmosis, at one of our daily meetings in the new lake house. 
"They're likely to find our bramble path any day, and 
steal the 'Lady Bug.' I've been thinking over this a lot, 
and it seems to me that the only scheme is to make a secret 
channel to the landing at the house. We could build a sort 
of stockade under water, and have only one clear path 
through it, and that a crooked one, so that it would take 
an experienced pilot to bring the boat through." 

"Just the thing ! Capital !" we all cried. 

"Yes; and we ought to have a chart of the lake with 
soundings all over It," put in Bill. 

"Now that we have our craft rigged with paddle wheels," 
continued Roy, "we can maneuver it through a narrower 
channel than we could if we had to row it through. We 
will have to use one or two buoys to mark the channel, and 
several range posts on shore by which we can lay our 
course." 

The Under- Water Stockade 

Admiral Roy produced a sketch of the proposed stockade, 
which with one or two minor changes was adopted by the 
club. It called for a row of stakes all around the porch 
of our lake house, sawed off just below the surface of the 
water. The sticks were set about 3 feet apart, so that 
a boat could not pass between them, and the line was set 7 
feet from the edge of the porch, with a wide sweep around 



74 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



oBVOY 



iT?P?l5qc*o_ 



BUC3Y 

Hoi 




/'To 
/ TREED. 



/" ^^gPoJTA. 



^4 
TjD tkeb 



Fig, 71 — Chart showing the underground stockade 



the northwestern corner, so that the boat could take the 
curve, and a tortuous entrance to the channel. Fig. 71 

shows the arrangement, to- 
gether with the positions of 
the range posts and buoys, 
which were placed under 
Admiral Roy's directions to 
guide him into the channel. 
We had to chop down quite 
a little timber and do a lot 
of jumping on the pile 
driver before the stockade 
was completed, but the sat- 
isfaction it gave us, and the 
sense of security from the 
inroads of the Mulligans, 




Fig. 72^Its lower end anchored to 
a stone 



was worth all the labor expended on it. 



Surveying the Lake 75 

Starting from the dock, we laid our course first toward 
spar buoy No. i. The buoy was a stick of wood painted 
with a band of red and with its lower end anchored to a 
stone (Fig. 72). When the boat reached the point where 
post A was in line with a tree B back on shore, it was turned 
sharply about and kept on this line. The next turn came 
when post C was in range with a convenient tree D. Then 
we skirted the building until we came to the boat landing 
in front. On the return trip we had to back out, skirting 
the building till we found the range C D, and keeping to 
this till we came to the range A B. Then we headed for 
buoy No. 2 until we were out in the open water. 
Tricks of Surveying 

The secret channel completed, we began our chart of 
the pond. The task devolved upon our Chief Engineer, 
"Sneezer" Menes. He was not awfully sure that he knew 
how to do it, and so, very wisely, went to Professor James 
for help. Now, as I have said before, Professor James 
used to be a civil engineer, and he knew all the little tricks 
of the surveyor by which distances can be roughly estimated 
without instruments. He was only too delighted to teach 
them to "Sneezer," and of course the rest of us gathered 
around too and took in all he had to say. 
Sibling Over the Thumb 

"Let us imagine that this road is a river or an impassable 
gorge," said Professor James. "One of the simplest 
methods of measuring it is this. Pick out some object on 
the opposite bank, say that stone over there. Hold your 
arm out straight befor? you, with your thumb sticking 
up like this. (See Fig. 73.) Shut one eye and move your 
thumb up or down until it comes in line with the stone. 



76 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



Then keeping your arm perfectly rigid, with your eye on 
your thumb, swing bodily around until you sight a stone 
or any other object on your own side of the river. This 
way — see ?" and he turned slowly on his right heel. "There ; 











-■^r-'^offc 



Fig. 73 — " Swing bodily around" 

my thumb comes right in line with that clump of grass." 
Then he paced off the distance to the clump. 
"Sixteen paces exactly," he said. "The road must be 
sixteen paces wide. At 2^/^ feet for each pace, that makes 
40 feet for the width of the road. You can measure it 
with a tape measure if you want to see how nearly right I 
am." 

Sighting Across a Ruler 

"Here's another way: Roy, you must be about 5 feet 
tall." 

"Five feet one inch and three-quarters," corrected Roy. 

"Oh, well, we will call it 5 feet 2 inches, or 62 inches. 
Now run up the road a ways, and we will tell you how far 
off you are." 

When Roy had taken his stand. Professor James held a 
ruler at arm's length before him, and announced that as 



Surveying the Lake 



11 



nearly as he could make out, Roy appeared to be about 2 
inches high. 

"But, Roy says he is 62 inches tall, or 31 times as large 
as he appears to be at this distance. That means that he 
is 31 times as far away as the ruler is from my eyes. Now, 




Fig. 74 — Roy appeared to be about two inches high 

I have often measured the length of my arm, and know when 

1 hold it out like that, that the ruler is almost exactly 2 
feet from my eyes. That shows that Roy is 3 1 times 2 feet 
or 62 feet away." 

The Cane and Cardboard Scale 

"Just notice this: Roy is 62 inches tall and just 62 feet 
away. Had he been 70 inches tall, he would have appeared 

2 inches high at a distance of 70 feet. The reason is very 



l„-. 



\ 2ft. 



Fig. 75 — "Two similar triangles, one over the other*' 

simple. It's a case of triangles. What we really have is two 
similar triangles, one over the other;" and he drew a dia- 
gram like Fig. 75. "This first runs from the eye to the ruler, 



78 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



and the other from the eye to Roy. In smaller triangle we 
have one side 2 inches high and the other 2 feet long, and 
so the sides of our larger triangle must bear the same 
relation, namely, 62 inches and 62 feet. Now, if Roy 

should move away until he ap- 
peared an inch high, the long 
sides of the small triangle would 
be twice as many feet long as 
the height in inches of the small 
side; that is, twice 62, or 124 
feet. Suppose Roy appeared to 
be % inch high. Then the ratio 
would be I to 16, because there 
are 16 eighths in 2 inches, and 
you would have to multiply 62 by 16 to find the distance. 
When I first learned this trick, I used to carry a small card- 
board scale with me, like this;" and he drew a small 
strip of cardboard from his pocket, graduated as shown 
in Fig. 76, with a 2-inch space marked i, a i-inch space 




Fig. 76 — The cardboard scale 



Q^:!^*=Qe:^ ^.^ 




Fig. 77 — "Squinting at him along the cane" 

marked 2, a ^-inch space marked 4, a ^-inch space marked 
8, and so on. "I used to slip my cane through the hole 
in the scale, setting the cardboard at a scratch just 2 
feet from the ferrule of the cane. I used to calculate the 



Surveying the Lake 79 

distance of every man I saw by squinting at him along the 
cane with the ferrule to my eye, and noting his apparent 
height on the scale (Fig. 77). The ordinary height of 
a man is from 68 to 70 inches, and this I would multiply by 
2 if the man appeared to be as high as the space marked 
2 on the card, or by 8 if he appeared to fill the space marked 
8, and so on. The distance I got would be the number 
of feet between the man and myself." 

Surveying with a Pin 

"How far off do you suppose that row of houses is on 
the hill there? City lots have a frontage of 25 feet, but in 
the suburbs the lots are usually 50 feet wide. If the lots 
there are full width, the houses must be 50 feet apart from 
center to center. That gives us a clue to the distance, and 
with our cane we can tell how far off we are. But here is 
another method: The eyes of most people are 25^ inches 
apart from pupil to pupil. We will let that form one side 
of our triangle." 

Then he stuck a pin through the 18-inch mark of a tape 
measure, and with one end against the bridge of his nose, 
he stretched the tape in front of him, holding the pin 
upright. First he squinted the right eye and sighted with 
the left over the pin to the center of one of the houses, 
after which without moving his arm or body he sighted 
with the right eye, and noted that the pin seemed to have 
moved toward the left across to the third house. Figuring 
50 feet for each lot, that made 100 feet or 1200 inches 
for the apparent travel of the pin. Then he showed us 
that by dividing 1200 by ijA, or the distance between the 
eyes, we got the figure 480, which meant that the large 
triangle between the pin and the houses was 480 times as 



8o The Scientific American Boy at School 

large as the small triangle between the pin and the eyes, so 
that if the distance between the eye and the pin was i8 
inches, or i^^ feet, the distance between the pin and the 
houses would be 480 times this, or 720 feet. 

The system was made perfectly clear by a diagram which 
Professor James drew, lil^ that in Fig. 78, showing that 
what we had was a pair of triangles lying point to point at 
the pin. The eyes were at the other end of one triangle, 
and the houses A and B lay at opposite corners of the other 
triangle. He showed us that the two triangles were exactly 
alike in every particular except size, and, as has just been 




18' 7S0Ff 

F g. 78 — A pair of triangles lying point to point 

stated, that one was 480 times the size of the other. In 
our diagram the smaller triangle is much exaggerated, of 
course. 

"You can use this scheme whenever you get a clue to the 
base of the larger triangle," continued Professor James. 
"Keep your eyes open for average distances. Telegraph 
poles along a railroad are usually set a certain distance 
apart, though the interval varies with different railroads; 
but if you should happen to know the interval of a certain 
telegraph line, you could measure across a river or lake to 
a railroad on the opposite shore, and by counting the tele- 
graph poles across which the pin appears to move, when you 
fight first with one eye and then with the other, it will be 



Surveying the Lake 



8i 



\ 



an easy matter to figure out their distance from you. As a 
clue for shorter distance, the number of bricks per yard in 
the wall, or the average width or size of windows, and a 
great variety of different average measurements, will help 
you out in making rough surveys." 

The Two-Foot Rule Method 

"These methods are all very good if you have some clue 

to the size of the object you are sighting to. If you have 

no such clue, here is a method that 

will do for rough calculation. It 

will require two persons and a pair 

of carpenter's folding 2-foot rules. 

If one of you will run up to my 

office, you will find in the upper 

right-hand pigeon hole of my desk 

just the kind of rule I mean, and 

I guess the janitor will let you have 

another one like it." When the 

two rules had been procured, Pro- 
fessor James opened them to a 

V-shape, and stuck two pins in the 

face of each leg, so that he could 

sight along them. 

"Now, let us measure the distance to that flagpole." 
He handed "Sneezer" one of the rules, with instructions 

to aim one leg of the ruler at the flagpole, and then without 

disturbing the position of the ruler to sight the other leg 

on him. Professor James paced off a distance of lo feet 

along the ground, and then sighted toward "Sneezer" with 

one leg of the rule, and toward the flagpole with the other. 

(See Fig. 79.) Then, holding the rule carefully, so as 



tact 



\i.Zft. 

\ 
\ 
\ 



Fig. 79 — Sighting to the 
flagpole 



82 The Scientific American Boy at School 

not to disturb the angle of the two legs, he placed It on 
"Sneezer's" rule with the apex of the angle just 5 inches 
from the apex of "Sneezer's" rule. (See Fig. 80.) Then 
the place where the legs of the triangle crossed each other 
was 1 1 Inches from the apex on Professor James's rule 
and 9 inches on "Sneezer's." Professor James pointed out 




Pig. 80 — He placed it on "Sneezer's" rule 

that we had two similar triangles, one made with the 2-foot 
rules with sides 5, 9, and 1 1 inches long, and the other 
formed between his position, the tree, and "Sneezer's" 
position; also that we knew that the shortest side of the 
larger triangle was 10 feet long instead of 5 inches, so 
that the other two sides of the big triangle must be 2 
times 1 1 and 2 times 9 feet respectively. The tree was 
therefore 22 feet from Professor James's station and 18 
feet from "Sneezer's." 



Surveying the Lake 



83 



The Shadow of a Tree 

"The easiest way of finding the height of a tree or 
steeple is to measure the shadow. Here is a good example : 
Suppose the shadow stretches out 50 feet from the foot 
of the tree. Drive a stake in the ground 5 feet from the 




Fig. 81 — Measuring the height by the shadow 

edge of the shadow, and if the stake is shaded for a height 
of 4 feet above the ground, we will know that the tree must 
be 40 feet high, because we have two triangles ABC 
(Fig. 81), one with a base 50 feet long and the other with 
a base 5 feet long, and so the larger triangle is 10 times the 
size of the smaller one." 

Measuring a Height by Reflection 

"If there happens to be a puddle of water near the 
steeple or tree whose height you wish to measure, stand off 
from it just far enough to enable you to see the top of the 
steeple reflected in the water. Then you will have two 
similar triangles again meeting point to point in the puddle 
(at A, Fig. 82). Suppose your eyes are 5 feet above the 



84 



The Scientific American Boy at Sclwol 



water, and that you are standing 2 feet away from the 

image in the puddle. 
Then, if the distance 
from the puddle to 
the base of the stee- 
ple is 50 feet, your 
larger triangle must 
be 25 times the size 
of the smaller one, 
and so the steeple 
must be 5 x 25 or 
125 feet high. 

"Of course, all 
these schemes are 
rough, very rough. 
You will need some- 
thing better if you 
are going to make a 
survey of your lake. 
'Sneezer,' you and 
Bill come up to my 
room to-morrow af- 
ternoon, and I will 
tell you all about 
plane table survey- 
,,,, . . . . , .., . ing as done by Un- 

Fig. 82 — Meeting point to point in the puddle i o > 

cle Sam s surveyors. 
After that I will leave it to you to make an instrument for 
surveying the lake. I want to see how clever this Modern 
Order of Ancient Engineers Is." 

The Plane Table 
The next afternoon Bill and "Sneezer" emerged from 




Surveying the Lake 



85 



Professor James's room looking very Important indeed. 
They called "J""^bo," the Chief Craftsman, and then went 
off by themselves to talk things over. It did not take them 
long to lay their plans. "Jumbo" went over to his work- 
bench, and made a drawing table about 2 feet square by 
fastening two wide boards together with a pair of cleats. 
"Sneezer" borrowed my tripod, which was a pretty sub- 
stantial one, and took it down to the nearest hardware 




Fig. 83 — ^The underside of the plane table 

Store to get a nut that would fit the thumbscrew in the 
tripod head. This nut "Jumbo" seated snugly in a square 
depression which he had cut with a chisel in the under side 
of the drawing board. Then over the nut he nailed a block 
of wood with a hole in it just large enough to admit the 
thumbscrew ( Fig. 83 ) . The drawing board was fastened to 
the tripod by screwing the thumbscrew through the hole in 
the block and into the nut. 

The Alidade 

Meantime, Bill procured a piece of a yard stick. Two 
blocks of wood were nailed to it at each end, overhanging 
one edge. A screw eye was put into the top of one block 
to serve as an eye piece, and a pin was stuck upright in the 



86 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



other to serve as a sight. Both were placed directly over 
the edge of the yard stick. Near the pin sight a second 
block was hinged, as shown, and a sight pin was stuck in it. 
"Sneezer" then informed us that in the language of the 
surveyor the yard stick with eye piece and sight is known 
as an "alidade," and the board as a "plane table." 




Fig. 84— The "alidade" 

Bill sent "Doc" and "Jig" out to Fithian's Woods to 
cut a pole or rod about 5 feet long and a dozen small stakes. 
A piece of paper was tacked to each stake, so that we could 
mark it with a letter or numeral. This done, we were 
ready to make our survey. 

Surveying the Lake 
Pirst, a base line was measured off on the northern shore 
of the lake. We made it just 300 feet long, and drove a 
stake at each end of the line, marking one stake Station A 
and the other Station B. The tripod was set up over 
stake J, and the plane table was made fast to it. A sheet 
of paper was fastened on the plane table with thumb tacks, 
and a pin was stuck in the board directly ov^er the stake J. 
^'Sneezer" then laid the alidade on the paper with the 



Surveying the Lake 



87 



graduated edge against the pin, and sighted through the 
screw eye and over the two pins to the rod which "Jig" was 
holding at Station B. When he had moved the alidade so 
that the sight pin came in line with "Jig's" rod, Bill raised 
the hinged block out of the way and drew a line along the 
edge of the alidade. At 6 inches from the pin marking 
Station A a second pin was stuck in the board to indicate 




Fig. 85 — "Sneezer" trained the alidade on him 

Station B. The 6-inch line represented the 300-foot base 
line, each inch standing for 50 feet. Then "Jig" went 
around the pond and stopped at the prominent points along 
the shore, while "Sneezer" trained the alidade on him, and 
drew lines toward the different points. At each of these 
points "Jumbo," who accompanied "Jig," drove a stake in 
the ground, numbering the stakes, i, 2, 3, etc., for future 
reference. At the same time Bill marked the lines he drew 
on the board, Ai, A2, A^,, etc. 

When "Jig" had circled the entire pond, the plane table 



88 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



j> B^sEUNi_2£i:HIi£I^ 




O , 50 100 '150 )A0 

'■■ I f' —1 I ■•= -< ' 

SCALc 



Fig. 86 — This gave him a siceleton map of the pond 



Surveying the Lake 89 

was moved over to Station B. Then the alidade was laid 
on the base line, and the table was swiveled around until 
the alidade pointed back toward Station A, with the pin 
B directly over stake B. Then the table was firmly secured 
in this position. "Jig" now retraced his steps around the 
pond, stopping at the stakes that "Jumbo" had driven, so 
that "Sneezer" could make a set of observations to them 
from Station B. Bill marked the lines Bi, B2, B^, etc. 
Where each B line met an A line he drew a circle, and 
numbered these circles in order. Then he connected the 
circles with heavy lines, and this gave him a skeleton map 
of the pond, as shown in Fig. 86. 

Sketching in the Shore Line 

It was now an easy matter to sketch In the shore line 
over the skeleton with a fair degree of accuracy, for while 
on his tramp around the pond "Jumbo" had taken note of 
the various indentations of the shore line between each pair 
of stakes. During the observations "Sneezer" had turned 
his alidade on the lake house, so that the position of this 
on the map was also determined. The trail through the 
brambles and the road beyond the dam were put in largely 
by guesswork. This done, the lines were gone over in ink, 
and the observation lines were erased. At the bottom of the 
map "Sneezer" put in the scale, 50 feet per Inch, and an 
arrow pointing north. The direction was found by means 
of a compass laid on the map while the paper was still on 
the base line. The complete map is shown in Fig. 87. 

" Traversing " 

We found surveying such a fascinating game that we 
decided to survey the road leading from the pond to the 



90 



The Scientific American Boy at School 







Fig. 87 — ^The finished map of the lake 



Surveying the Lake 



91 



Academy. This called for a somewhat different system, not 
unlike Professor James's cane and paper scale trick. This 
"Sneezer" told us was known as "traversing," while the 
other was intersection. Another yard stick was procured 
and cut to a length of just 31 inches, and two blocks were 
fastened to it at each end, but set back rather than over- 
hanging the edge. Instead of the pin and screw eye we 




Dou6/e fbtnl TacJk- 

Fig. 88 — The carpet tack, alidade 

used two double-point carpet tacks and placed them in the 
side of each block, just 30 inches apart. The carpet tacks 
measured just Y^ inch between the legs. "Jumbo" filed 
them out to exactly that 'width because Bill had figured it 
out that with these proportions an object 4 inches high and 
20 feet away would just fill this ^-inch space when viewed 
through the carpet tacks. 

The Stadia Rod. 

With this instrument we had to use a "stadia" rod. The 
stadia rod was a light board, 4 inches wide and 6 feet long, 
and it was divided off into black and white squares 4 inches 
high. Before painting the rod Bill proved that his calcula- 
tion was correct by training the instrument on a piece of 



92 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



paper just 4 inches square and 20 feet 
away from the Instrument. Then "Jig" 
proceeded to paint the rod. The squares 
were arranged in groups of five, as shown 
in Fig. 89, each group representing a dis- 
tance of 100 feet. One group was con- 
nected by a central band of black, and the 
next by a central band of white. "Jig'* 
began by painting the first group of blocks 
solid black and the next solid white. Then 
from a piece of cardboard he cut a stencil 
like that shown in Fig. 89. Placing this 
on the black group, he was able to paint 
in the white parts at each side of the cen- 
tral band, and then by placing the stencil 
on a white group to paint in the black. 
"Jig" found it difficult to paint a solid 
white over the black until the man from 
whom he bought the paint taught him the 
trick of putting on a coat of blue first and then the white. 

Surveying the Road to the Academy 

The survey started from the dam. "Sneezer" set up his 
plane table with the new alidade on it, while "Jig" went up 
the road a piece with the stadia rod. Sighting through the 
double-point tacks, "Sneezer" was able to see seven blocks 
between the legs of the tack, so he drew a line along the 
alidade 1,^2 inches (7 half inches) long and drove a pin in 
the table at the end of this line, marking It B. Each block 
represented a distance of 20 feet, so he put down the 
distance, 140 feet. The tripod was then moved to where 
"Jig" had stood, and was adjusted so that the pin was 




Fig. 89— The stadia 
rod 



Surveying the Lake 93 

exactly over the spot where the butt of "Jig's" stadia rod 



J4a. 



^oo• 



-^0* 



140' 



o30" 



360/ 



Fig. 90 — A skeleton map of the road 



had rested. "Jumbo" remained behind with 
a rod set upright on the spot previously occu- 
pied by the plane table. "Sneezer" sighted to 
"Jumbo," so as to get his board in position, and 
then without disturbing the plane table he 
trained his alidade on the stadia rod at the next position 
taken by "Jig." This time he saw four squares, so he drew 






C 'JWOODS„ '^ 




Fig. 91 — ^The finished map of the road 

a line 2 inches long (4 half inches) 
and marked it 80 feet. Thus he pro- 
ceeded from the dam to the Academy 
without a tape measure, and obtained a skeleton like that 
shown in Fig. 90. While the observations were being made. 
Bill was taking notes of the country at each side of the road, 
so that he could work them into his finished map, as shown 
in Fig. 91. 



CHAPTER IX. 



SOUNDING THE LAKE 

After we had made a survey of the pond and Its sur- 
roundings, the next task was to make a chart showing the 
depth of water, etc. This was quite a problem. It was 
easy enough to make the soundings, but how in the world 
would we know where to put them on the chart? To be 
sure, we could take observations from the shore with the 
alidade and the stadia rod, but that would hardly do, be- 
cause our measurements were far from accurate, particularly 
on long distances. Finally we hit upon a plan that worked 
out fairly well except that It called for another plane table. 
My tripod was the only one in the club, but it was not a 
very difficult matter to rig up a home-made duplicate. 

A Home-Made Tripod 
The bottom of a peach basket served for the tripod head. 
We divided the head into three parts In the following way: 
A string was fastened to one 
edge with a tack, and was 
stretched across the disk to 
the opposite edge, where it 
was wrapped around the lead 
of a pencil. Then seizing the 
string by the center. It was 
pulled over to the edge of the 
disk, drawing the pencil back 
along the circumference to 
the desired point, where a 

.^„ 1, „ J T^L ^L Fig. 92 — Dividing the head into three 

mark was made. Then the * Jarts 




Sounding the Lake 



95 



string was pulled over to the opposite edge, and a second 
point was marked with the pencil. Lines were drawn from 
the center of the disk to these points, and also to the point 




Fig. 93 — ^The bottom of the tripod head 

where the string was tacked fast, and this gave us three equal 
divisions of the head. 

On opposite sides of each line wooden blocks were fas- 
tened, ^ inch apart. The legs of the tripod were fitted 
between these blocks, and hinged by means of bolts which 




Fig. 94 — The plane table on the tripod 



96 The Scientific American Boy at School 

passed through them and the blocks. (See Figs. 93 and 94.) 
As we required a very substantial tripod, we did not attempt 
to make folding legs. Instead, each leg was made of a 
single stick 3 feet 6 inches long, and tapering from a width 
of 3 inches at the top to an inch at the bottom. A nail was 
driven into the bottom of each leg and left projecting 
slightly. The head of the nail was then filed off, leaving a 
sharp point to stick in the ground and keep the tripod from 
slipping. The alidade and table were made in the same 
way as before. 

The Sounding Parties 
Under Bill Rameses's directions our sounding parties were 
organized as follows : In the boat Chief Admiral Roy Ah- 
mosis, recorder; "Jig" Sonches, leadsman; and "Jumbo" 
Unis, boatman. On land, at plane table Station A, "Sneezer" 
Menes, chief observer, and "Doc" Amenophis, assistant; 
plane table Station B, Bill Rameses, chief observer, and 
Jim Amenhotep, assistant. 

The Land Stations 
Two tracings of the map of our lake were made, one for 
each plane table. The stakes that had been driven to mark 
the points of observation for the first survey were still in 
place. The plane table parties first set their tables over 
the stakes A and B on the base line. "Sneezer" at stake A 
swung his alidade against a pin driven into the spot marked 
A in the map, while Bill at the other station swung his 
alidade against the pin stuck in the map at B. 

The Boat Party 
The boat was fitted with a mast from which the signals 
were hung, telling us on shore what the soundings were. We 
used the cone and ball signals, which will be explained later 



Sounding the Lake 97 

on. "Jig" sat in the bow of the boat, straddling the stem. 
He carried a sounding pole about 10 feet long, which was 
divided off into feet, and the numbers were marked with 
white paint. Roy had the responsible duty of signaling the 
soundings as they were called out by "Jig," and then jotting 
down the figures, so as to check up the work of the observers 
on shore. "Jumbo" in the meantime rowed the boat to the 
various positions indicated by Roy. 

Recording the Soundings 

The soundings were taken first from a point a little below 
the lake house. "Jumbo" rowed the boat slowly back and 
forth across the lake, coming about 20 or 30 feet nearer to 
us at each trip. Every once in a while "Jig" would make 
a sounding. He plunged the pole into the water on the 
forward slant, so that the moving boat would bring it up 
straight just as the pole touched bottom. Before each 
sounding "Jig" would call "Ready," and "Jumbo" would 
raise his oars to indicate to us on shore that the sounding 
was about to be made. We would then train our alidades 
on "Jig." At the moment the pole touched bottom "Jig" 
would say "Now," and "Jumbo" would drop his oars. At 
the same time we on shore, following the boat with our 
instruments, would draw a line along the alidade. In the 
meantime "Jig" would call out the depth of water to Roy, 
who would hang up the proper signal from the mast and 
record the figure in his notebook. 

The a^ssistant of each party on shore read the signal, and 
jotted down the number on the range line just drawn. These 
range lines were lettered A, B, C, etc., so that we could 
identify them. First, the northern half of the lake was 
sounded and surveyed from the original surveying stations 



98 



TJic Scientific American Boy at School 



A and B (Fig. 87), and then the lower half from stakes 4 
and 6. 

Locating the Soundings 

When the sounding was done, we had two charts, each 
covered with a mass of lines marked 7/3, ^5, C7, etc. One 
chart was laid over the other, and being of tracing paper, the 
lines of the under chart showed through the upper chart, 
as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 97. At the points where 
the lines of the same letter intersected, that is, where C on 




Fig. 95 — Sighting from station A 

one chart met C on the other, a small circle was made, and 
the depth of the water, in this case 7 feet, was written in the 
circle. There were some places near the observation station 
where the range lines made so sharp an angle or else so 



Sounding the Lake 



99 



wide an angle with each other that we could not be very sure 
of the position of our soundings. However, it did not 
matter very much, as most of the lake was properly charted. 
While marking the observations of the soundings, we also 
located the range poles and buoys of our secret channel. 
These were marked down on the chart. Fig. 98 represents 
the chart after it was completed. Of course, the original 
was made on a larger scale than is possible on these pages, 
and it contained more soundings than can be shown here. 
The secret channel has also been omitted from the illustra- 
tion because of its reduced scale. 





^^^^.fC 



Fig. 96 — Station B 




Fig. 97 — One chart was laid over the other 



lOO 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



Prof. James's Comment 

It was a triumphant crowd of boys that visited Professor 
James when the three maps had been completed. He com- 
mended us highly on our ingenuity, and said we had done 




Fig. 98— The finished chart of the lake 

ourselves credit. But when we showed him our instruments, 
he did not seem quite so pleased. They were entirely too 
rough to suit him. 



Sounding the Lake 



lOI 



"Why didn't you use a telescope on your alidade?" in- 
quired Professor James. "A telescope?" said Bill, rather 
crestfallen at this criticism. "Why, we couldn't afford to buy 
a telescope." 

"But why did you not make one?" 

"Make one? How could we?" 

"Look here," said Professor James; "don't you know 
how a telescope is made? Oh, I don't mean how the lenses 
are ground, but how they are arranged. Go and get me 
your camera, Jim, and Pll show you." 

A Camera as a Telescope 

When I had brought the camera, he set it up on the tripod 
and focused on the scene out of the window. Then from 

his pocket he took a 
magnifying glass. 
"Now, Jim, it's 
? your camera, and you 
can have first peek. 
Look at the picture 
on the ground glass 
through the micro- 
scope." 

I did, but could 
not see much because 
of the grain of the 
ground glass. But he 
told me to hold the 
lens right there and 
keep on looking for a moment. With a sudden whisk he 
pulled the glass out of the way, and there was the lawn 
tennis court and the old Academy fence, the whole scene as 




Fig. 99 — Using the camera as a telescope 



102 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



clear as day and sharper than it would appear to the naked 
eye, except that everything was upside down. 

"That's a telescope," said Professor James. "You see 
the Idea, don't you? One lens makes a picture, and the 
other magnifies It. It doesn't magnify much. Let's see ; it 
is about 12 inches from your camera lens to the ground 
glass, and 3 inches from there to the magnifying glass. An 
optician would say your object glass had a 12-inch focus 
and your eye piece a 3-inch 
focus, so the power of 
your telescope is 4 diame- 
ters; that is, the things 
you see through the tele- 
scope are three times as 
large as they appear to 
the naked eye. The power 
of a telescope is always 
found by dividing the 
focus of the object glass 
by the focus of the eye 
piece. The longer the 
focus of the object glass, 
and the shorter the focus 
of the eye piece, the more powerful the telescope. Now this 
telescope shows things upside down, just like an astronomical 
telescope. For daylight telescopes two more glasses are 
needed in the eye piece, to turn the picture right side up, 
but It won't make any difference in surveying whether the 
view is inverted or not. Now you ought to know enough 
about telescopes to make a good alidade with fine stadia 
hairs In place of staples. You can buy the lenses for 25 
cents apiece." 




FI;: 



100 — "It throws a distant image 
on the paper" 



Sounding the Lake 



103 



"But how will we know what kind of lenses to get?" 

asked Bill. 

"Why, any magnifying lens will do," said Professor 

James. "Get one with as long a focus as you can for the 

object glass, and a 
smaller one with as short 
a focus as possible for 
the eye piece. You can 
test the focus of each 
glass by holding it in 
front of a sheet of paper, 
and moving it back or 
forward until it throws a 




Fig. 101 — A simple telescope 



distinct image on the paper of the scene before us (Fig. 
100). A small reading glass makes a very good object 
glass, and a pocket magnifying glass can be used for the 
eye piece" (Fig. loi). 

"But where shall we put the stadia hairs?" asked Bill. 

"Now look here, Bill; I am not going to tell you every- 
thing. Just figure it out for yourself." 

Testing the Lenses 
At the very first opportunity we made a trip to Louis 




Fig. 102— Testing the focus 

Goldberg, the oculist and jeweler, and succeeded in getting 
a small reading glass of 12-inch focus and a magnifying 
glass of about 2-inch focus. These we set up on a base 



I04 The Scientific American Boy at School 

board, as shown In Fig. 102, so as to test them, and to find 
out how big our telescope would be and where to set the 
stadia hairs. The handle of the reading glass was jammed 
into a hole in the base board, and the pocket glass was set on 
a block which raised it so that the centers of the two glasses 
were at the same level. The block was free to move along 
the board, so as to give us the necessary focus. 

Where to Set the Stadia Hairs 

Bill had an idea that the stadia hairs should be placed 
on the object glass. So he drew two lines of black ink on 
the glass, but strange to say they disappeared entirely when 
he looked through the telescope. Then he wiped off these 
lines, and drew them on the eye piece instead. But all he 
could see was two blurs that had a way of appearing and 
disappearing as he moved his eye, and were worse than 
useless for observation on the stadia rods. Then it suddenly 
dawned upon Bill that he had been very stupid. If he was 
to see the hairs through the eye piece, they would have to 
be set at the focus of the eye piece, so he cut a hole in a 
piece of cardboard and wrapped fine black thread around 
the card across the hole. The card was held at the focus 
of the eye piece, and then when he looked through the tele- 
scope, the view was cut by two sharp black lines. When he 
looked at things near by, the focus of the object glass was 
lengthened, and he had to move the eye piece back corre- 
spondingly, but the stadia hairs had to be moved back with 
the eye piece. 

Making a Telescope 

Having thoroughly tested our lenses, we were ready to 
make a telescope that would look like a telescope. First 




Sounding the Lake 105 

of all, we took the lenses out of their frames. We found 
that when the handle of the reading glass was unscrewed, 
the frame spread open and let the glass fall out. The pocket 
glass was mounted in a bone frame, and it was a simple 
matter to saw this in two and get the glass out. The tubes 
of our telescope were paper mailing tubes. The main tube 
was over 3 inches in diameter and 12 inches long. Several 
layers of paper were 
pasted to the inside of ^vfflS^v.^wu^'vAw^^^u^- 

the tube, so that the lMli'''/''/^'i/W////4l0l 
lens would fit closely, S^^y//////////y//////MA ^ 

but not too tightly. Fig. 103- DetaUs of the telescope 

Then a ring or collar 

A (Fig. 103) of pasteboard was glued to the inside of 
the tube, about 5^ inch from the edge, forming a shoulder 
for the lens to rest against. The lens was held to the 
shoulder by means of a piece of spring brass wire that was 
bent into a ring B. This was sprung into the tube, and 
pressed against the edge of the glass. The inside of the 
tube was painted a dull black, so as to prevent reflection of 
the light from dimming the image. 

The Eye Piece 

For the eye piece we got a piece of i-inch tubing about 
5 inches long. To fit this into the main tube we needed 
two disks or flat rings. "Jumbo" cut them with his scroll 
saw out of the cover of a cigar box. The rings were just 
large enough to fit into the 3-inch tube, and a i-inch hole 
was cut exactly in the center of each. One ring C was 
glued to the inner end of the i-inch tube, and the other 
ring D, after the tube had been fitted into it, was tacked and 



io6 



The Scientific American Bov at School 



glued to the end of the large tube, as shown in Fig. 103. 
The small lens was fastened by means of tacks to a plug 




mWN\M\\m 



m//twiniyhilflj 



Fig. 104 — The plug in 
the eye piece 




Fig. 105 — The eye piece 
of the telescope 



of wood E (Figs. 104 and 105) which just fitted the inside 
of the smaller tube. A hole was drilled through the plug 
about ^ inch in diameter. 



Sewing-in the Stadia Hairs 

The stadia hairs F, which consisted of black thread, were 
sewed with a long needle right through the paper tube. 
There were three parallel horizontal hairs, the middle one 
of which ran through the center of the tube. A fourth 
hair ran vertically through the center at right angles 
to the others. In order to get the lines perfectly true. Bill 
drew a large circle on a piece of white cardboard, and laid 
out the horizontal and vertical lines on it. Then the tele- 
scope was focused on this card at such a distance that the 
circle just filled the field of vision, and when the needle was 
pushed through one side of the tube, it was trued up to the 
lines of the chart before it was pushed through the opposite 
side. After the hairs were fastened in place, the plug con- 
taining the small lens was adjusted to bring it to a sharp 
focus, and then it was fastened into place with two screws G. 



Sounding the Lake 



107 



We used round-headed screws, so that the projecting heads 
would serve as stops to prevent the eye piece from being 
pushed into the main tube too far. 

We did not know how to figure out beforehand what 
distance to use between the stadia hairs so that they would fit 
the stadia rods already made, and so we set them % of an 
inch apart, as explained above, and then sighting through 





Fig. 106 — The stadia hairs 



Fig. 107- 



-The telescope mounted on the 
yard stick 



the telescope at a 2-foot rule placed at a distance of 10 
feet, we noted the number of inches between the outside two 
horizontal hairs, and made the blocks of our new stadia 
rod of this size. Of course, the hairs passing through the 
center of the field were not used on the stadia rod, but only 
when we were using the intersection method of surveying. 

The telescope was mounted in a bracket such as shown 
in Fig. 107, and the bracket was made fast to a yard stick, 
so that the axis of the telescope was parallel with and 
directly over the graduated edge of the yard stick. The 
pivots used were small bolts, which could be tightened to 
hold the telescope at any angle in the bracket. A small 
spirit level fastened on the main barrel showed us when the 
telescope was level. 



CHAPTER X. 



SIGNALING SYSTEMS 

The signals which Roy ran up the mast to indicate the 
depth of the soundings were patterned after the ball and 
cone system, which we found in the 
manual of the United States Signal 
//^/y ^ Corps. The signals were made up of 

two balls, two cones, and a drum. 
For the balls we used croquet balls, 
each with a screw hook at the top 
and bottom (Fig. io8). The drum 
and cones we had to make. 




Fig. 108 — A screw hook 
at the top and bottom 



Making the Cones 

For the cone we took a disk of 
wood about 4 inches in diameter, and fastened a stick 
upright in the center of it (Fig. 109). The stick was 4 
inches long. Out of a piece of cardboard we cut a circle 
about 12 inches in diameter. The thin cardboard was slit 
at one side from the center to the circumference (Fig. 1 10) . 
Then we lapped one edge over the other, drawing the card- 
board up into a cone, which was fitted over the upright 
stick and tacked at the base to the wooden disk. A screw 
hook was secured to the apex of the cone by threading it 
through the paper into the stick, and another hook was 



Signaling Systems 109 

screwed Into the center of the disk at the bottom (Fig. 1 1 1 ) . 




Fig. 109— Frame 
of the cone 



Fig. 110 — Slit from center 
to circumference 



Fig. Ill — The cone 

The lapping edges of the cardboard were glued together, 
and the whole was coated with shellac. 

Making the Drum 

The drum was made In a similar way of two wooden disks, 
4 inches in diameter, which were connected by a strip of 





Fig. 112 — Frame of the drum 



Fig. 113 — The drum 



no The Scientific American Boy at School 

cardboard, 4 inches wide. Before applying the cardboard, 
the disks were connected by two or three sticks, as shown 
in Fig. 112, forming a substantial framework for the card- 
board. The cardboard was tacked on and glued fast, after 
which it was painted with shellac to protect it from the 
weather. The drum was also provided with a screw hook 
at the top and bottom ( Fig. 113). 

The Ball, Cone, and Drum Code 

According to the manual, the cone was numbered i, the 
ball 2, the inverted cone 3, and the drum 4. The alphabet 
was made up as follows, using the numbers to represent 
the cones, balls, and drum : 

A 112 H 211 O 231 

B 121 I 212 P 232 V 312 

C 122 J 213 Q 233 W 321 

D 123 K 214 R 234 X 322 

E 124 L 221 S 241 Y 323 

F 132 M 223 T 242 Z 324 

G 142 N 224 U 243 

End of word 432 

End of signal i 

Numeral signal 423 

Alphabetical signal 422 

Annul signal 22 

It will be noticed that the first seven letters began with 
number i, and the next fourteen with the number 2, and 
the last five letters with the number 3. When signaling the 



Signaling Systems 



III 



soundings we did not need to use the 
alphabet, but only the numbers to repre- 
sent the depth in feet. We did not have 
any special code for numerals, but let A 
(112) represent i foot, B (121) 2 feet, 
and so on up to J (213), which was 10. 
So as not to mix up the numerals with the 
alphabet at other times, we would run 
up the signal 423 to show that every 
signal after that would mean numerals 
until we ran up the signal 422, which sig- 
nified a change back to the alphabet. 
When we were spelling we used the signal 
432 at the end of each word, then i at the 
end of each sentence. When we made a 
mistake 22 was used, meaning cancel the 
sentence and begin over again. 

Of course, Roy did not have to bother 
with the period or word sign, or even with 
the alphabet sign, when he was signaling 
the soundings, because we knew that all he 
had to signal to us was numerals; and as 
the depths did not exceed 8 feet, except 
for one hole near the dam, there were not 




Fig. 114 — The two 

cones, ball and 

drum 





Fig. 115 — A sample set of signals 



112 The Scientific American Boy at School 

many signals he had to memorize. However, to guard 
against confusion, the sounding rod was marked not with 
numbers, but with the corresponding letters of the alphabet 
to indicate the depth in feet, and Roy put the letters rather 
than the numbers in his notebook, while we at the shore 
stations read the signals as numerals, and afterward checked 
up our notes with Roy's. 

The Semaphore System 

The ball and cone system was pretty slow for ordinary 
conversation, so we hunted through the manual for some- 
thing better, which would enable us to carry on a conversa- 
tion from the lake house to the dock. Bill hit on a combi- 
nation of the wigwagging and semaphore systems. A post 
about 10 feet high was erected on shore, just back of the 
dock. Out of a board we cut two sema- 
Cjvotv ^ phore arms, each 3 feet long and about 
4 inches wide. The arms were slightly 
Fig. 116-A groove Capered, so that they would look like 
was cut in the the Semaphore arms of railroad block 

rounded end 

signals. At the narrower end the corners 
of the arms were cut off, and the arm was rounded, as 
shown in Fig. 116. A groove was cut in the rounded end 
to receive the operating cord, which was tacked fast to the 
upper edge of the semaphore arm. The two arms were 
hinged to the post near the upper end by means of a long 
bolt J (Fig. 117), which we picked up in the hardware 
store — a chair bolt they called it. A couple of large washers 
were placed on the bolt between the post and the semaphore 
arms, so that they would not stick when we operated them. 
Then the nut on the bolt was screwed up until it held the 



Signaling Systems 



113 



semaphore arms without much, if any, play; and then a 
second nut was screwed on and jammed tightly against the 
first, so as to keep it from working loose. 

At a convenient point above the ground we nailed a block 




t 



Fig. 



118 —The semaphore 
signals 



Fig. 117 — The semaphore post 



B to the side of the post, 
and pivoted on it two 
levers, to which the lower 
ends of the cords were fas- 
tened. One arm was to be 
swung to the right, and the 
other to the left, and so one 
cord had to run up the left 
side to one arm and the 
other up the right side to 
the other arm. Screw eyes 
C were used to guide these 
cords. Now, when one 



lever was pushed down, the corresponding arm would spring 
up. The arm that swung to the right of the operator stood 
for No. I, and the one that swung to the left No. 2, and 
when both were swung up at the same time, they gave the 
signal No. 3. (See Fig. 118.) A stop pin D prevented the 
semaphore arm from swinging too far where it dropped. 
One thing we had to be careful about — the arm that 



114 The Scientific American Boy at School 

was swung to the right by the sender of the message ap- 
peared to the receiver of the message to be going toward 
the left, because he was facing the sender. 

The Wig- Wag Alphabet 
We used the wig-wag alphabet which is as follows: 



A 


22 


H 


122 


o 


21 


V 


1222 


B 


2II2 


I 


I 


p 


I2I2 


W 


II2I 


C 


121 


J 


II22 


Q 


I2II 


X 


2122 


D 


222 


K 


2I2I 


R 


211 


Y 


III 


E 


12 


L 


221 


S 


212 


z 


2222 


F 


2221 


M 


I22I 


T 


2 


tion 


III2 


G 


22II 


N 


II 


U 


112 












Numerals. 








I 


nil 


4 


2221 


7 


1222 


9 


I22I 


2 


2222 


5 


II22 


8 


2III 


o 


2II2 


3 


III2 


6 


22II 











For instance, A was made by two pulls on lever 2, and B 
by one pull on lever, 2, two pulls on lever i, and one pull 
on lever 2. The end of each word was indicated by 3, the 
end of a sentence by 331 and the end of the message by 333. 
So if we wanted to signal the message "lie low," we would 
do it as follows: Two pulls on lever 2 and one on 
lever i, pause, one pull on lever i, pause, one pull on 
lever i, one on lever 2, and a pull on both levers, to 
signify the end of the first word (221 i 123) ; then two 
pulls on lever 2 and one on lever i, pause, one on lever 2 
and one on lever i, pause, two on lever i, one on lever 2, 
one on lever i, and three pulls on both levers, to signify 
that the message was ended (221 21 11 21333). 



Signaling Systems 115 

Some of the commoner words were not spelled out, but 
instead we used the abbreviations found in the manual. A 
stood for after, B for before, C for can, H for have, N 
for not, R for are, T for the, U for you, U R for your, 
W for word, W I for with, and Y for yes. 

Night Semaphore Signals 

The semaphore stations were rigged up for night use 
in a very simple way. A board E was nailed across the 
top of the semaphore posts, and from it a couple of barn 
lanterns were suspended. A stick with a tin disk F on it 
was fastened to each semaphore arm in such a position 
that it would cover the lantern when the arm was down, but 
uncover it when the arm was raised, as shown in Fig. 117. 

One lantern was covered with ruby tissue paper, so that 
it would give a red light, while the other was left white. 
The white light was hung at the right and stood for 
number i, while the red was used for number 2, and both 
together for number 3. We did not have much chance to 
use this system except for a little while in the early evening, 
as the days were getting short. Several blocks G were 
nailed to each post, so that we could climb up to the lanterns 
to light them. 

Electric Night Signals 

Although we were not very strong on electrical apparatus, 
"Jumbo," who had dabbled in the science a trifle, rigged 
up an electric signal, which did away with lighting the lan- 
terns. He had several small electric lamps of about one 
candle-power each, which had been used for decorating 
a Christmas tree the year before. He put one at each end 
of the porch of the lake house, and connected the two to 



ii6 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



a battery and two keys placed on the side rail of the porch. 
The keys were strips of wood H cut to about the shape 
shown in Fig. 119. A screw / was driven into the porch 
rail through a hole in the center of each key. (See Fig. 120.) 
The hole was large enough to permit the key to be rocked 
up and down. At one end of each key there was a knob / 
consisting of half a spool. This was fastened to the key 
by means of a bolt and nut. The two keys were electrically 
connected by a bit of bell wire L, wrapped around the bolt 
between the knob and the key and passed around screw / 
to the opposite key, where it was similarly coiled around 





Fig. 119 — Two keys placed on the 
side rail 



Fig. 120— Details of one of 
the kevs 



the screw and twisted about the bolt. Of course, we took 
off the cotton covering of the wire, and scraped the copper 
clean where it came in contact with the bolt, and wherever 
any electrical connections were made. Directly under each 
bolt a brass screw was screwed into the porch rail, so that 
when the key was pressed down, the end of the bolt would 
strike the screw head. One of these screw heads was con- 
nected to lamp No. i, and the other to lamp No. 2. Then 
each lamp was connected by a wire to one end of the battery, 
while the other end of the battery was connected with the 
wire L, that ran from one key to the other. Fig. 121 shows 
just how the connections were made, so that when key No. i 



Signaling Systems 



117 







T 


i^fl" 


■4^*^ 




^ 





Fig. 121 — Diagram of the lamp 
circuits 



(R. K.) was pressed down, bringing the bolt into contact 
with the screw head, the current would flow from the 
battery B through the key to lamp No. i (R. L.) and back 
again. And when key No. 2 
(L. K.) was pressed down, 
the current would pass 
through lamp No. 2 (L. L.) 
and light it. 

Each key was held open by 
a rubber band N, hooked to a 
nail at the bottom of the porch 
rail. Our battery consisted of 
two dry cells, which were con- 
nected, as indicated in the diagram, with a wire running 
from the zinc of each cell to the carbon of the next. 

Of course, one of the lights had to be colored, so as to 
distinguish it from the other. This was done by dipping 
the lamp globe in a thin solution of white shellac, and then 
while the shellac was still sticky, dipping the globe into 
red ink. 

The same kind of signaling apparatus was installed at 
the dock, the lamps being mounted on a couple of posts 
ten to twelve feet apart, and the operating keys on a narrow 
shelf on one of the posts. It was a most convenient system 
of signaling, because the operator could seat himself com- 
fortably in a chair, and operate the two keys with the left 
hand by pressing one key with the first finger and the 
other with the second. That left the right hand free to take 
down the other fellow's message. The rubber bands which 
held the keys open were so light that scarcely any pressure 
was required to close the keys. Many an evening we begged 
off half an hour after supper to carry on a signal talk across 



ii8 The Scientific American Boy at School 

the lake. Of course, in the day time we had to use our 
semaphore system. 

One day, while a brisk semaphore talk was being carried 
on between the lake house and shore stations, I happened 
upon one of the Academy boys who was not a member of 
our club, taking notes of the signals. "Hello !" I exclaimed. 
*'What are you doing?" 

"Oh, you needn't think that you're the only ones who 
know how to wigwag," he replied, waving before me a 
copy of the conversation that had just been signaled. 

"What ! Have you 

been spying on us? 

Here, give me that copy. 

You have no right to it." 

I snatched it out of his 




Fig. 122— The cipher disk 



hand, but he only laughed. 

"Oh, I don't need to write it down," he responded, with a 
taunting laugh. "I can read off the message just as well 
without writing the signals." 

"Well, you won't read any more messages. Now, clear 
out before the whole club sets after you." 

It had just occurred to me that a cipher system of sig- 
naling was described in the manual, and that we must use 
it by all means. It called for a little device similar to that 
shown in Fig. 122. 

The Cipher Disk 

Out of a piece of thin cardboard we cut two disks, one 4 
inches in diameter and the other 3 inches. The larger disk 
was glued to a wooden base, and a smaller one was pivoted 
centrally on the larger disk by means of a screw and broad 
washer. Now, each disk was divided off into twenty-six 



Signaling Systems 



119 



/^p^!^^^^\ 


m3 02)j Ef 



equal parts. The spaces in the larger circle were a shade 
less than half an inch wide. Each space was marked with 
a letter of the alpha- 
bet, capitals being 
used on the large circle 
and small letters on 
the inner circle. The 
alphabet read toward 
the right in the outer 
circle and toward the 
left in the inner one. 
(See Fig. 123.) A 
small handle was fast- 
ened on the smaller 
disk to help in turning 
it. The handle con- 
sisted of a corner of a 

well-made pasteboard box, glued to the disk, just under 
the letter a. 

Making Up the Cipher 

Our cipher message was sent as follows: First, we 
selected a key word, say "Lady Bug" ; then we wrote down 
our message, for instance, "Lie low, the Mulligans are 
about." Over it we would write a string of "Lady Bugs," 
and below it the cipher as follows : 

LAI>YBUGLADYBUGLADYBUGLADYB (Key) 
BEWARE THEMULL I CAN S ARE ABOUT (Message) 

k w h y k q n e w r e q j y f aqgbdcl'z.pei (Cipher) 
The cipher was obtained as follows: The smaller disk 
was turned so as to bring the letter a opposite L, the first 
letter of the key. Then B, the first letter of the message, 



Fig. 123 — The lettering on the cipher disks 



120 The Scientific American Boy at School 

was opposite the letter k on the smaller disk, and this letter 
was the first of the cipher. Then the disk was turned 
until the letter a came opposite A, the second letter of 
the key word, and the letter E lay opposite w on the movable 
disk, giving us the second letter of our cipher. And so we 
reduced the whole message to a cipher, and then the 
cipher message was signaled in the usual way. At the 
opposite station the letters were taken down in the order 
In which they were received, and then deciphered by turning 
the disk to bring letter a opposite L, and then setting down 
the letter which came opposite k, viz., B. Then a would be 
set opposite A, and reading opposite w we would have E, 
and so on until the whole message was deciphered. 



CHAPTER XL 
THE "HOVS^" TRUSS BRIDGE 

While we had lots of fun building our submerged stock- 
ade, we might have saved ourselves all the trouble as far as 
the Mulligans were concerned. When weeks had passed 
and they made no attempt to attack our property we began 
to boast loudly about the surprise that had apparently 
knocked all the fight out of them. But, as winter drew near, 
a new danger cropped up. We had been having quite a 
little cold weather, enough to form a thin skin of ice along 
the edges of the pond, but one night there was a sudden 
cold snap, and in the morning we found the lake covered 
with quite a thick sheet of ice. We managed to get our 
boat over to the house by breaking open the channel. We 
would all gather at the stern of the boat, so as to lift the 
bow out of the water, and when the boat rode on the ice, 
we would run forward and crush it down. But the next 
day the ice was so thick that we could skate on it, and 
it was out of the question to try to get the boat over. That 
was the beginning of the long skating season, which would 
have been very enjoyable had it not left our lake house 
defenseless and exposed to attack when we were not about 
to guard it. The inevitable happened. 

An Afternoon Call 

One afternoon while we were at school the Mulligans 
paid us a call, and finding us not at home, proceeded to 
make themselves at home. They kicked in the door, 
smashed our windows, took out our stove, fire and all, and 



122 The Scientific American Boy at School 

dumped It on the ice, through which it soon melted a hole 
and dropped into the water. They tore down our rogues' 
gallery, hacked our scarabeus to pieces, demolished our 
chairs and table, and left us nothing but the bare walls of 
our building, and then lest we mistake the identity of our 
visitors they scribbled on the wreck of the door: "Com- 
pliments of the Mulligans." 

We were wild, especially when we saw the stovepipe 
sticking up through the ice; and when "Jumbo" found that 
his lathe had been wrecked and his tools all stolen, he 
actually wept. He was for having the police after them; 
but what boy would ever get a policeman to help him In a 
"scrap" with other boys. There was nothing we could do 
but grit our teeth, and threaten to "fix" them if they should 
ever fall into our clutches again. So disheartened were we 
that we would have abandoned the old lake house then 
and there had we not been too proud to do so. 

"We've got to rig up some scheme to keep them off," 
said Bill. 

"How the dickens are you going to do It? We can't stay 
on guard here day and night." 

"But we've got to do something, I tell you." 

"Well, do something then ! For Heaven's sake, do some- 
thing," replied Roy, rather testily. That evening, as we 
went to bed, I heard Bill muttering to himself, "We've 
got to do something." 

The Moat 

I had a furious fight with Pat Mulligan that night. The 
whole gang swooped down on us, and Pat singled me out 
for his fist work. The battle was so fierce that all the 
rest stood by and watched Pat and myself. I had the 



The "Howe" Truss Bridge 123 

best of him, and was giving him a terrific punishing when 
the rascal tripped me, and then began to pound me as I 
struggled to get up. Gradually it dawned upon me that 
it was Bill who was punching me in the side and trying 
to shake the slumber out of me. "Wake up, Jim. For 
Heaven's sake, wake up, can't you? I've got a dandy 
scheme." 

"Oh, leave me alone." 

"Come, wake up, won't you?" 

"Fade away. Bill. If your scheme won't keep till morning 
it isn't worth telling." 

"But I've got to tell you now." 

"Well, go ahead, why don't you? You aren't waiting 
for me to get up and put on my best Sunday meeting clothes 
with a rosebud in my buttonhole before you tell me your 
wonderful scheme?" 

"Well, if you're really awake, I'll tell you. We'll break 
the ice all round our house as far as the stockade, or farther, 
and that will make a sort of moat around our fort. Then 
we'll have a drawbridge that we can let down over the moat 
whenever we want to cross it, and raise it up at other times, 
so that the enemy cannot reach the house. Of course, we will 
have to break up the ice every morning. But that's easy." 

"Well, the scheme isn't so bad," I said; "but now that 
you have unloaded your mind, get to sleep. It must be most 
morning." 

The Plank Bridge 

Bill was still enthusiastic over his scheme the next day. 
Under his direction we got a long plank, and fastened it 
with barn-door hinges to the porch floor of our lake house. 
A rope was fastened to the center of the plank and passed 
over a pulley on the porch roof, so that we could pull it 



124 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



up whenever we wished. The board was rather thin and 
sagged in the center, so we strung wire from end to end of 
the plank near each edge at the bottom, and slipping a brace 
which consisted of a board a foot square between the wire' 
and the plank, we turned the board on edge, bowing the 




Fig. 124 — The drawbridge over the moat 

plank slightly in the center. (See Fig. 124.) A catch or 
button C (Fig. 125) on the porch post held the plank when 
it was raised. 

It then occurred to us that we must have some way of 
raising and lowering the plank from the ice which the Mulli- 
gans could not discover, otherwise the drawbridge was of 
no value. No way seemed to offer. Evidently Bill's scheme 



The "Howe" Truss Bridge 



125 



was not just the thing after all. What 
we needed was some sort of a light rig 
that we could carry around with us, and 
hide in the barn at night or when 
school was in session. We could do 
that with the plank, but Bill had sud- 
denly made up his mind to have some- 
thing better, and appealed to Professor 
James for help. Could he suggest some 
construction that would give us a foot- 
bridge light enough to carry around, 
and yet strong enough to hold the entire 
club if need be ? 




Fig. 125— A button 

held the draw 

open 



A Lesson in Bridge Building 

"Triangles again," said Professor James. "I tell you 
there is something magic about them. Suppose we used an 
ordinary plank for the bridge. When you stood in the center 
the plank would sag down. One way to prevent this you 
have already adopted in your drawbridge, but it puts an 




Fig. 126 — "Tying it with wire to the apex" 

awful strain on the wire. Another way is to use two inclined 
beams, like this (see Fig. 126), making a triangle. Then 
draw up the sagging plank by tying it with wire to the apex 



126 . The Scientific American Boy at School 

of the triangle. A truss bridge is made just like that, but 




Fig. 127 — Sagging despite the braced center 

with a lot of triangles, one connected to the other. Sup- 
pose, for instance, that you wished to extend your truss on 




Fig. 128 — Another illustration of inadequate bracing 

each side to J and B (Figs. 127 and 128), then your 
bridge floor might sag despite the braced center, unless 







/ 










^\yY 






\v^/; 






// ^ 


/yr"^ 


/tS\ 


C N\ 




J* 




/y "^"^ 


// ^V\ 




^ y' 


4 


< 




^ 


^ ...... 





Fig. 129 — A four- panel bridge 



The "Howe" Truss Bridge 127 

you tied it up at the point C and D. To do this, set a couple 
of inclined beams as at E (Fig. 129), and brace them 
apart with a horizontal stick F at the top. Then tie the 
flooring to it with wires G. That will give you a four-panel 
bridge. It can be made stronger yet by putting in the 
counter braces H. Now you want a bridge to span a gap 10 
feet wide. Better make it 12 feet long with eight panels, 
each 18 inches square." 

Construction of the " Howe " Truss 

This time Professor James did not leave it to us to 
figure out a suitable construction, but sat right down himself 
and drew up a design for us. He was not going to risk any 
accident by faulty construction. 

First, we got four 2x3 scantlings, two of them 10 feet 
long, for the top chords of the bridge, and the others 13 
feet long for the bottom chords. Also a piece of 3 x 3 
scantling 4 feet long, and two %-inch boards, 10 inches 
wide and 10 feet long, which we had cut at the sawmill into 
strips 2^ inches wide. 

First, we cut nine notches in the larger chords and seven in 
the shorter chords. These 
notches were 33^ inches 
wide and 3^2 inch deep. In 
order to get them all just 
alike and the same distance 

apart, we cut a notch at Fig. 13 0— Drew lines across all four 

, V scantlings 

the center or one of the 

scantlings In the 3-inch space and then laid the scantlings 
edge to edge, wide face up, with their centers in line. 
Measuring from the right edge of the notch, we drew lines 
across all four of the scantlings, 18 inches apart, using a 




128 



The Scientific American Boy at School 




carpenter's square to get them true. (See Fig. 130.) That 
gave us one side of each notch, and it was easy enough to 
find the other by measuring 3>^ inches to the left. Then 
with saw and chisel we soon cut out the notches. 

There were thirty-two 
notches in all, and we had 
to cut a block to fit each 
notch. Taking the 3-inch 
square scantling, we cut it 
in two lengthwise, sawing 
across corners (Fig. 131) 
so as to give us two tri- 
angular strips 3 X 3 X 434 
inches. By planing the two 
edges the 434 -inch side was 
reduced to about 3^ inches. 
Then we cut each strip into 
blocks 3 inches long (Fig. 132) and drove and nailed one 
in each notch of the top and bottom chords. A pair of holes 
was drilled into the V of each block through the chord. 

From the 23^-inch strips we cut 
forty-four braces just 26 inches long. 
In order to get them all exactly the 
same length, we cut one and used it 
as a template for cutting the others. 
We were very careful to saw the ends 
off square. Then we got about 6 feet of No. 15 steel wire, 
and everything was ready for assembling the bridge. 

Assembling the Truss 

A top chord A and a bottom chord B were laid on the 
ground 18 inches apart, and after two braces running 



Fig. 131 — Sawing across comers 




Fig. 132— One of the 
blocks 



The ''Hoive" Truss Bridge 



129 



diagonally In opposite directions 
from the block C at the center of the 
upper chord had been set In place the 
chords were temporarily tied together 
with rope. The rest of the braces 
D were then put In place In pairs, 
between which the counter braces E 
were fitted. When all the braces had 
been assembled between the top and 
bottom chords, as shown In Fig. 133, 
we fastened the chords together per- 
manently with the steel wire. A loop 
in the wire was fitted over the end 
of the top chord. Then it was 
threaded into the holes In the chords, 
passing down through the bottom 
chord and back again, then on to the 
next pair of holes, and down and 
back again, as shown in Fig. 134, and 
so on to the end of the bridge, where 
the wire was made fast by wrapping 
It around the top chord a couple of 
times and driving a stout nail through 
a loop that had been twisted In the 
end of the wire. The wire was drawn 
as taut as possible while we threaded 
It through the holes, but the twists 
and kinks in It showed that It was not 
nearly tight enough. So we cut a 
number of wedges G of oak, and 
drove them between the wire and the 
bottom of the lower chord, as Indi- 



<. K 



•^ 



i3o 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



cated in Fig. 135. Each wedge was driven in part way 
at first, and then when all were in place we tapped them 




Fig. 134 — How the wire was strung through the chords 

successively with a hammer until the wire was tight enough 
to sing hke a banjo string when we thrummed it. We could 




Fig. 135— How the wire was tightened 

tell by the tone whether one part of the wire was as tight 
as another. 

When the two truss frames had been assembled and wired 



The "Howe" Truss Bridge 



131 



we set them on edge two feet apart and laid our floor beams 
H across the bottom chords, to which they were nailed. The 
beams were i-inch square sticks, and every second one 
extended about a foot beyond the chord at each side, and 
braces / were fitted between the ends of the beam and the 
top chord, so as to hold the two trusses upright. On our 
floor beams we laid three narrow ^-inch boards for the 
floor of the bridge. 

Mounting the Bridge on Runners 

The bridge weighed about 120 pounds, which was con- 
siderably more than we had anticipated, and it was quite a 
nuisance to carry it down to the ice whenever we wanted to 
go to our lake house. Furthermore, it was no easy task to 




Fig. 136 — An end view of the truss bridge 

run it across the gap of water to the porch, particularly as 
the gap was within 12 inches as long as the bridge. We 
found it was absolutely necessary to mount one end of the 
bridge on a box, which had been rendered watertight by 



132 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



nailing felt-lined strips of wood over the cracks. This box 
was sufficient to float one end of the bridge, so that all we 




Fig. 137 — ^The bottom chords resting on the edge of the porch 

needed to do was to push It across and let the bottom chords 
rest on the edge of the porch. A couple of piles were driven 




Fig. 138 — Runners supported one edge of the bridge 

Into the bed of the pond to support the opposite end of the 
bridge, because the Ice was not always strong enough. 



The "Howe" Truss Bridge 



133 



To assist us in getting the soap box out of water wlien we 
were moving the bridge we nailed a couple of sled runners 
to it, letting them curve up toward the center of the bridge, 
as shown in Fig. 138. The runners supported one end of 
the bridge when we were dragging it to the barn or to the 
house. 

Snowball Catapult 

As a further protection to the lake house, "Jumbo" got 
up a sort of catapult for throwing snowballs. It consisted 





Fig. 139 — TheV-shaped trough 



Fig. 140— One of the 
crosspieces 



of a V-shaped trough in which the snowball was placed, 
and a spring board arranged to shoot the snowball out 
of the trough. The trough was 3 feet long, and made of 



■ (Jln 




Fig. 141 — The slide for the trough 





C 


'^^^^ 


^^^^^^^^-^"^ 


'v ^^--___: 


^^^ yf' ' 




? --] 


^^ 


St^A- 



Fig. 142 — End view of the slide 



a pair of light boards A nailed at each end to a cross piece 
B, in which a V-shaped notch was cut, as shown in Fig. 140. 
The boards did not come together at the bottom of the 
V, but were separated by a space i inch wide. A slide for 
the trough was made from a pair of V-shaped pieces C, 



134 



The ScicntiHc American Boy at School 




Fig. 143— A block 
for the trough 



to which a stick D i Inch square and about 8 Inches long 
was nailed. The stick was planed down 
to slide freely in the slot at the bottom of 
the trough, and to the under side of the 
stick a button E of wood was fastened 
with a screw, so that It could be turned 
crosswise to hold the slide in place. A 
notch F was cut in the stick for the trigger. 
Two triangular blocks G were attached to the outside of the 
trough on opposite sides, but before nailing them fast a 
bolt hole H was drilled edgewise through each block, and 
a notch / was cut In the block to receive the head of the bolt. 
These bolts connected the trough to the catapult stand. 

The Catapult Stand 

The stand was made of two A-shaped frames / and K 
about 4^ feet high, which were inclined toward each 
other and connected with strips, making a sort of pyramid 
4 feet high. The spring board was hinged to a central 
board M that ran from one 
frame to the other. Two 
blocks N (Fig. 145) were 
nailed to the board M be- 
tween which the spring board 
O was mounted. The spring 
board was a piece of seasoned 
hickory, ^ Inch thick, 6 Inches 
wide and 3^^ feet long. A 
piece of a broom handle P was 
nailed to the spring board 

above the center and then the spring board was fitted be- 
tween the blocks A^ with the broom handle resting In notches 




Fig. 144 — The catapult stand 



The 



'Hoivc" Truss Bridge 



135 



in the blocks. Two plates R were nailed over the broom 
stick to the board M and blocks A^. The trough was now 
mounted on the stand, as shown in Fig. 146, with the bolts 
passing extending from the blocks G through the A-frames 
at each side. Wedge-shaped pieces S were nailed to the 
A-frames to provide suitable bearing surfaces that would 




Fig. 145 — Mounting of 
the spring board 




Fig. 146 — Method of mounting the trough 



press against the blocks G when the nuts on the bolts were 
screwed up and hold the trough at any angle at which it 
was set. The slide was connected to the upper end of the 
spring board by a stout cord. A rope was passed around 
the lower end of the spring board and tied fast to the rear 
of the frame. A handle T was nailed to the trough to help 
us to aim the catapult. 

The Trigger of the Catapult 
The trigger of the gun was cut from a piece of oak to 

the shape shown in Fig. 
147, and was pivoted on a 
bolt which ran through a 
slot. A cord was attached 
to the trigger, and its other 
end was fastened to the 

Fig. 147 — The handle and trigger handle. 




136 The Scientific American Boy at School 

To fire the catapult, the slide was drawn back and caught 
on the trigger U. Then with a stick we twisted the rope 
until the spring board was bowed. The end of the stick 




Fig. 148 — The slide was caught on the trigger 

was caught in a loop of the string to keep the rope from 
unwinding. Then the catapult was ready to be fired. We 
could swing the trough up and down as far as we pleased, 
but when we wanted to aim to one side, we had to turn the 
whole stand around. When the trigger cord was pulled, 
the slide would shoot along the trough until brought up 
short at the end, and the snowball would be hurled out at 
tremendous speed. 

The Gunners' Shield 

At the front of the stand we built a shield to protect the 
gunners while in battle. The shield was constructed, as 
shown in Fig. 149, of a number of boards fastened together 
with cleats and with an opening wide enough to let the 
trough through. 

The catapult was such a success that Bill Rameses made 
out a written order for a second one just like it, sealing the 
order with Pharaoh's official seal. We set the two catapults 
on the porch of the lake house, one at each end, and laid 
in a supply of snowballs. Two boxes filled with snowballs 
were kept over in the bramble patch as reserve ammunition 
for an emergency. With the two snowball cannon to guard 



The "Howe" Truss Bridge 



137 




Fig. 149 — The catapult ready for action 

the moat, and a stretch of open water between the house 
and the Ice, we felt pretty safe from attack. 

A Warning 
One afternoon, just after our truss bridge had been com- 
pleted, as the time for the afternoon school session to end 
was dra\^ing near, "Doc" asked to be excused. As he passed 
rather hastily down the aisle, he dropped a note on my desk. 
"Come at once. The Mulligans are about. Leave word for 
the rest." The other Scarabs were all at recitation, but I 
penned a note to "Jumbo" to hurry along with reinforce- 
ments, passed it over to his desk, and then obtained permis- 



138 The Scientific American Boy at School 

slon to leave the room. "Doc" was outside, fairly frantic 
with impatience. 

"For Heaven's sake hurry, can't you?" he said as he 
started on a wild rush to the barn for the truss bridge. We 
dragged the thing down to the ice and over to the lake 
house, hurled it across the gap of clear water, and then ran 
back for our loads of extra snowballs, drew them quickly 
across to the house, and pulled in the truss bridge. While 
I drew in the bridge "Doc" loaded both of the catapults. 

All this while we hadn't seen anything of the Mulligans, 
and "Doc" had kept me so on the run that I had not had 
a chance to ask him how he knew the Mulligans were com- 
ing. When I did put the question to him, he tapped his 
forehead, looked wise, and told me not to question Ameno- 
phis, the great magician and astrologer, arch priest of the 
scarabeus. Then he pointed to the dam. "Behold, doubting 
sire, thine eyes are opened that thou mayest acknowledge the 
power of the high priest of the Sacred Scarabeus." 

There were the Mulligans, sure enough, putting on their 
skates! 

"Lie low, Jim Amenhotep, and I will tell you the very 
workings of their minds. They did not see us come, and 
do not know that we are here. They planned to take 
possession of our house while we were still In school, and 
surprise us when we came around with a volley from our 
own catapults. But we have stolen a march on them. Do 
you see those poles they have with them? They are going 
to use them to vault our moat." 

"Now, how In the world did you find this all out?" 

"Don't bother me with foolish questions. We have seri- 
ous business ahead. Train your gun on them, but do not 
fire until I give you the word." 



The "Hozve" Truss Bridge 139 

The Attack 

Not until the Mulligans had about reached the edge of 
our moat did "Doc" give me the signal, and then suddenly 
two snowballs were hurled as if from a cannon right in the 
midst of the gang. We did not see at first what havoc 
had been wrought, we were too busy reloading. But a yell 
from the Mulligans told us that we had hit something, and 
when we looked up, we saw them scrambling off in all 
directions. However, they were only surprised, not licked, 
and came back at us right away. After our first volley we 
did not waste our ammunition by firing both catapults at 
once, but while "Doc" aimed and fired one I loaded the 
other. The catapults could hardly work fast enough. The 
Mulligans spread out in a fan, so that we had harder work 
aiming at them, and they could dodge our shots better. Then 
they made a rush for us. We dropped the catapults, and ran 
to the edge of the moat to fight them off. But what could 
two of us do against half a dozen? I knocked Pat Mulligan 
Into the water the moment he touched the landing, but 
before I could turn around the rest of the Mulligans had 
vaulted across, and were struggling to throw "Doc" and 
me into the water. We each picked out an assailant, and 
despite the pounding we received clung to him so desperately 
that he could not shake us off, and If one was thrown over- 
board the other would have to go too. 

Reinforcements 

Just then I caught a glimpse of Bill and the rest of the 
Scarabs coming to the rescue. The plank bridge was still In 
place in front of the house, and while I fought I managed to 
make my way over to It, and with my elbow knocked the re- 



140 The Scientific American Boy at School 

taining button loose. The plank fell with a crash, but fortu- 
nately the ice was thick and held. Immediately Bill and the 
rest swarmed across. Then the fight was on in earnest. First 
one side and then the other seemed to have the mastery. Once 
in a while a fellow would be knocked over into the ice-cold 
water, but he would scramble out again to renew the battle. 
Luckily the water was not deep, else the consequences might 
have been serious. The Mulligans were gradually getting 
the worst of it. At one time we had half of them overboard, 
and succeeded in keeping them from scrambling out onto the 
porch. They managed to get up on the plank bridge, but 
as they had to come single file it was an easy matter to keep 
them off. The porch was soon cleared of the other three, 
and the day was won. The Mulligans turned and fled. We 
ran after them, not so much with the idea of putting them to 
rout as to get back to the school as soon as possible and dry 
our clothes. 

It is a wonder that none of us came down with pneumonia. 
All but "Jumbo" and myself had had a ducking. The next 
day our club boasted of four beautiful black eyes and a 
various assortment of battered noses, bruises, etc. 



CHAPTER XII. 
THE SEISMOGRAPH 

I SAW the postman coming up to the Academy one day, 
grinning and chuckling to himself. "Hello, boy!" he cried. 
"Who's this come to boardin' school? Is it a heathen insti- 
tution you're running? Look at this, now. Nobody but 
a Chink would stand a name like that. The first one isn't so 
bad — 'William Rameses.' We've got Ramseys next door to 
us; but say, If anybody dared to call me by this here name, 
I'd smash his face for him." He handed me a letter bearing 
an Egyptian postage stamp and addressed to Messrs. Will- 
iam Rameses and James Amenhotep. 

"Oh, I know those two fellows," I said. "I'll give them 
the letter." 

"What are they — Turks or Persians?" 

"Neither," I replied; "pseudonyms." 

"Soudanums? Oh, I know. They come from Africa, 
don't they?" 

I didn't disillusion him, but chased off to find Bill. "How 
in the world did any one discover our names?" I wondered. 

"It must be Uncle Ed," said Bill, tearing open the en- 
velope. "He's somewhere in the Orient, and In my last 
letter I told him I was Pharaoh of our club, and you the 
Grand Vrzler. I didn't see any harm in it, because he Is 
really one of us, you know." 

Uncle Ed's Letter 

BUI was right. Uncle Ed's letter was brief, but as usual 
to the point. He was glad that we were a modern order of 



142 The Scientific American Boy at School 

ancient engineers. He wanted us, above all, to be up to date, 
not only in science and engineering, but in every other 
branch of learning as well. The ancients, he told us, were 
very smart — wonderfully smart, considering the tools they 
had to work with; but he wished us to copy only their re- 
sourcefulness and their dogged perseverance. In everything 
else he wanted us to be very modern, and he urged us to 
subscribe to a first-class New York daily paper, and read it 
from cover to cover every day, so that we could keep up 
w^ith the times. 

A Daily Paper 

Of course, he could just as well have bought the paper 
for us himself, but he knew that we would think more of 
it if we paid for it out of our own pocketbooks. Instead 
of having the paper come to the club, Bill suggested that 
he and I buy it for ourselves, because one paper divided be- 
tween seven fellows would mean that some would get nothing 
but the "ad" pages. I readily fell In with the proposition, and 
went halves with him on the subscription. It arrived every 
morning just before noon addressed to Messrs. Rameses 
and Amenhotep, and right after dinner as regularly as 
clockwork we betook ourselves to a sequestered spot, divided 
the journal in two, and pored over Its pages. Every Item 
was of Intense Interest, and the reading was almost In- 
variably followed by a discussion. Strange and original 
doctrines were propounded at these noonday meetings. We 
were studying the world's doings, and planning wonderful 
remedies for Its many shortcomings. 

A Report from Bokhara 
While reading the paper one day. Bill came across a small 
cable dispatch that I had read but hadn't taken in. "Say, 



The Seismograph 143 

what do you think of this, Jim? A traveler from Central 
Asia reports a disastrous earthquake in the Khanate of 
Bokhara. Four villages were destroyed and over five hun- 
dred hves were lost." 

"Terrible loss of life," I replied perfunctorily, and went 
on reading. 

"Yes; but that isn't what I mean. Don't you remember 
not long ago, we read about an earthquake record made by 
an instrument in Washington. They said the earthquake 
must have been about 8,000 miles away, and probably in 
the heart of i\sia. This must have been it. But how the 
dickens could that instrument record a quake so far off?" 

"Give it up, Bill. Better ask Prof." 

The Seismograph Explained 

"Well, boys, what is it now?" said Professor James. 
"Triangles?" 

"I suppose so," assented Bill doubtedfully. "What we 
would like to know is how a man in America can tell that 
there has been an earthquake in Asia before word can come 
by mail or telegraph." 

"Well, there are no triangles In that question," laughed 
Professor James. "You know when you drop a stone in a 
pond how it will start a set of waves that spread round in 
circles which grow larger and larger though weaker and 
weaker until they cover the entire surface of the water. In 
the same way, when the earth starts to quaking, a wavelike 
motion spreads out in every direction and travels over the 
(whole world. By the time the waves have travelled all the 
way from Asia to America, they are so weak that it takes an 
exceedingly delicate instrument, called a 'seismograph,' to 
feel them. Delicate as it is, this instrument is very simple — 



144 



The Scientific American Boy at School 




Post 



Levef* 



Jh/t 



Fig. 150— Diagram of a seismograph 



merely a big weight hung so that It will not move or tremble 
when the earth does. Then a lever which moves with the 

earth has one end con- 
nected to the weight 
In such a way as to 
exaggerate or multiply 
the slightest motion of 
the earth, and a pen 
on the lever traces an outline of the earth waves on a sheet 
of paper." He drew a diagram like Fig. 150. "The 
lever is pivoted on a post driven In the ground close to the 
stationary weight. The short arm of the lever Is connected 
by a link to the weight, and the longer arm is provided with 
the pen. Now, If the earth should jog the post slightly to 
one side, the pen would be swung much farther because it Is 
much farther from the weight fF. It Is just like this : When 
you hold one end of a pencil and move the middle of it an 
inch, the outer end moves two Inches. (See Fig. 151.) 
This is what we call a multiplying lever. 

"x^ny sort of pen- 
dulum will do to 
support the weight, 
provided the weight 
is very heavy and ^ 
on a long string. But 
there is a special 
kind of pendulum 
that swings horizon- 
tally and Is better In many respects than any other. Some- 
times you will find a door that persists In swinging open 
unless you latch It, merely because the frame Is warped and 
one hinge Is not directly over the other. That is the way the 




2ia 



Fig. 151 — A multiplying lever 



The Seismograph 



145 



horizontal pendulum works. The weight instead of hanging 
vertically is held out to one side by a horizontal rod, which 
is pivoted to a sohd foundation. The pivot of the pendulum 
rod is not directly below the pivot of the pendulum wire. 
(See Fig, 152.) This makes the pendulum always swing 
back slowly to the same position after it has been moved one 




Fig. 152 — ^The weight is held to one side by a horizontal bar 



side. The more nearly the two pivots are in line the more 
slowly will the pendulum swing, and the heavier the weight 
the less it will be disturbed by the trembling of the earth. 

"There now. Bill. I suppose you will Invite me around 
to-morrow to see a seismograph built a la Bill Rameses by 
the Modern Order of Ancient Engineers." 



146 The Scientific American Boy at School 

Locating the Earthquake 

"But, Professor James, we wanted to know how they can 
tell where the earthquake is." 

"Well, I declare! So you did; so you did." He reached 
for an encyclopedia, and turned to a page on which there 
were a number of earthquake records made by a seismo- 
graph. "Do you notice that every one of them starts out 
with a set of small tremors? {P\ Fig. 153). Then a set 
of larger tremors (P"), and finally the big waves {F"). 



p' 



rR/,\^l^'^| 




P "^ "~p^^~^Twljj^^ 



-V -:^-^^ 



Fig. 153 — An earthquake record. P' small tremors, P" larger tremors" 
P" big waves 

All these waves are produced at about the same time, but 
the smaller tremors travel much faster than the bigger 
waves. Usually they gain a minute over them every two 
hundred miles. So all you have to do is to count the minutes 
that elapse between the first tremor and the first of the big 
waves, and multiply this by 200 to find out how far the waves 
have come. The direction of the waves, however, is more of 
a problem, and a little too complicated for me to explain. 
Sometimes two seismographs are used, one set at right 
angles to the other. One pendulum will tell you how many 



The Seismograph 147 

miles east or west to measure, and the other how many 
north and south, and in this way you can tell that the earth- 
quake is in one of four places. Then usually the swing of 
the pendulum is a little more pronounced in the direction in 
which the waves are traveling, and this can be detected by a 
careful examination of the earthquake record. Any more 
questions?" 

"Yes," answered Bill. "Do you think we could build 
one?" 

"It's a pretty delicate job," said Professor James; "but 
the Modern Order of Ancient Engineers hasn't failed at 
anything yet. If you like, I will help you." 

The Horizontal Pendulum 

Of course we "liked," and with Professor James's help 
built a very good seismograph as follows: The instrument 
was set up in the cellar, where it would have a good founda- 
tion and would be free from local disturbances. For our 
heavy weight we took a large galvanized-iron pail and filled 

it with stones. The hori- 
zontal rod of the pendu- 
lum was a wooden pole, 
8 feet long, on which the 
pail was nailed about 10 
inches from one end. At 
the other end of the pole 
a block A (Fig. 154) 
was nailed fast, and a 
screw hook was threaded into it. On the wall of the cellar 
we fastened two brackets of wood, nailing them to plugs of 
wood driven into chinks in the masonry. The brackets were 
made very solid, and across their projecting ends we nailed 




Fig. 154 — The lower pendulum pivot 



148 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



a wooden strip C. An eyebolt D was slipped through a hole 
in this crosspiece, and was held by a nut. When we were 
ready to mount the pendulum the screw hook was caught in 
the eye of the bolt. 

For the upper pivot we fastened two brackets E (Fig. 
155) at the top of the cellar wall directly above the other 
pair. The projecting ends of this bracket were beveled 
off, as shown. Two crosspieces F were nailed to this 
beveled surface just far enough apart to receive the tongue 
G of a slide block H (Fig. 156). An eyebolt / passed 






Fig. 155 — The upper 
pivot 



Fig. 156 — The slide 
block 



Fig. 157 — The pendulum 
weight 



through a hole in this block, and was held from slipping 
through the hole by a nut. The eye of the bolt was ham- 
mered open to form a hook, as in Fig. 155. Two screws / 
were threaded through the brackets E and their ends, which 
were filed blunt, pressed against opposite sides of the block 
G to hold it fast anywhere we wished in the slot between the 
crosspieces F. 

A piece of a broomstick was passed through two holes in 
the pail at right angles to the pendulum bar. Two eye-bolts 
K (Fig. 157) were fastened to the ends of the stick. A 
wire was then attached at its center to a hook which was 
caught in the eye-bolt of the upper pivot. The ends of the 
wire were attached to the eye-bolts on the broomstick, 



The Seismograph 149 

and after the pendulum bar was hooked to Its pivot / the 
wires were tightened up until the bar was horizontal, by 
screwing up the nuts on the bolts A'. The upper and lower 
pivot bolts / and D were then adjusted until the pendulum, 
if disturbed, would take half a minute or more to swing 
from one side to the other. To make the motion slower 
the pivot bolts were let out and to quicken the motion they 
were drawn up. By shifting the block H along the cross- 
pieces we could make the pendulum bar come to rest where 
we wished it to. 

The Multiplying Lever 

A post was now driven into the 
cellar floor near the outer end of 
the pendulum bar and a very light 
lever was pivoted on this stake. 
The lever was a straw about 15 
inches long with a heavy screw 
fitted tightly into one end of it. 
^. ,,„ „, The screw was made fast to the 

fig. 158 — The straw was 

threaded through a Straw with Sealing wax. The straw 

was threaded through a hole in a 
large cork. For the pivot pin we used a sewing needle which 
was passed through the cork at right angles to the lever. 

Casting the Lever Bearing 

The pivot bearing was made out of Babbitt metal which 
w^e cast In a block of wood. Two i-inch holes were drilled in 
the block of wood to a depth of about half an inch, then 
a channel was cut in the block connecting the two holes, as 
Indicated by dotted lines In Fig. 160. Two ^^-Inch holes 
were then bored Into the bottom of the channel about as 




ISO 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



far apart as the height of our cork and an inch deep. The 
block of wood was cut away at one end L (Fig. i6o) so 
that there was only a thin wall of wood at the side of one 



GID 




Fig. 159 — A channel connecting 
two holes 



Fig. 160 — The block was cut 
away at one side 



of the 34-irich holes. A large needle was then driven through 
this hole and half way through the other. A brass screw was 
threaded through the other end of the block until its blunted 
end touched the point of the needle. Two nails were now 
driven into the wood at the bottom of the channel. The nails, 

needle, and screw were coated 
with a mixture of oil and 
lampblack and then the Bab- 
bitt metal was melted in a tin 
can in the cellar furnace and 
poured into the block, filling 
the holes and the channel to 
the brim. When the metal 
was cool the block was split 
open and the nail and needle 
were drawn out, leaving us a 
casting like that shown in Fig. 
158. This casting was fastened to the post with two screws 
which were passed through the nail holes, and when we 
were ready to mount the lever the pivot pin was fitted into 
the needle hole with the point resting on the end of the 
brass screw. For our pivot pin we selected a needle that 




Fig. 161 — Filling the channel 
to the brim 



The Seismograph 



151 




Fig. 162 — The stylus at the end of 
the straw 



was a trifle smaller than the one that was used in making 
the casting, so that it would fit freely but not loosely in 
the hole. 

The Stylus 

At the end of the straw lever a light stick of hard wood 
M was fitted and glued 
fast. The ends of this 
stick were capped with a 
drop of solder. A piece 
of fine piano wire was bent 
into a yoke. (See Fig. 
162.) The ends of this 
yoke were sharpened with 
a file and stuck into pin 
pricks in the solder at each 
end of the stick M. The 

wire at the center of the yoke was doubled to form a stylus 
N, which was sharpened with a file. 

Connecting the Lever to the Pendulum 

At the other end of the lever the screw was punched with 

an awl to form a slight dent and at the end of the pendulum 

bar we placed a drop of solder with a small hole pricked in 

the surface. Then the bar and the nail were 

>^ connected by a light wire link bent to the 

shape shown in Fig. 163, with the ends 

Fig. 163— The wire resting in the pin pricks in the solder and 

nail. To balance the lever as nearly as 

possible we added a drop or two of solder to the nail. 

The Recording Drum 
The next task was to make the recording drum. We took 




152 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



a mailing tube O ( Fig. 1 64) , about 3 inches in diameter, and 
cut off about 5 inches of it. Two disks of wood, P, were 
fitted and glued in the ends. For the drum shaft, R, a 

wooden rod was threaded 
through the two disks at the 
exact center and glued fast. 
The rod projected about 4 
inches from each disk. A 
piece of wire, S, was coiled 
in a tight spiral around the 
rod. After 25 turns had been 
put on, one end of the wire 
was made fast with a staple 
close to the drum. The coil 
was then pulled out and the 
other end of the wire was 
tacked fast to the outer end of 
the rod. A nail V (Fig. 165) 
was driven into the shaft at 
the other side of the drum. 
The drum shaft was supported on two notched brackets 
nailed to a baseboard. One bracket, T, was of wood, as 
indicated in Fig. 166, while the other, C/, was a piece of 
tin bent to an L shape with a V-shaped notch in the upper 




Fig. 165 — The clock made the 
drum turn 




Fig. 164 — The recording drum 




Fig. 166 — The wooden bracket 



end. The tin fitted between the coils of the wire and as 
the drum was turned the coils made the drum move slowly 



The Seismograph 153 

endwise. To turn the shaft R we used an ordinary alarm 
clock. The minute hand was bent out at right angles, as 
shown in Fig. 165, and on this projecting end we got a 
tinsmith to solder a piece of tin, JV^ a little over four Inches 
long. The clock was then set on the baseboard so that 
the tin strip would bear against the nail on the rod and 
make the drum turn around once every hour. At the end 
of 25 hours the end of the coil would be reached, stopping 
the drum, unless an attendant came to reset it. To do this 
the drum was lifted bodily out of the brackets and set back 
in its original position. 

On the drum we wrapped a strip of paper coated with 
lampblack and fastened it with a couple of wire rings, Y 
(Fig. 162), at each end. These rings were split open at 
one side and had to be sprung apart before they could be 
slipped on to the drum. The baseboard of the Instrument 
was mounted on a stout box in such a position that the 
stylus of the latter rested lightly on the blackened paper 
near one edge. As the drum turned around the stylus traced 
a straight line in the soot. 

The Time Recorder 

We had to have some way to measure the minutes along 
this line and so we got an electric bell, took off the gong and 
mounted it so that the clapper would hit the post on which 
the straw lever was supported. (See Fig. 167.) The little ad- 
justing screw of the bell was screwed up against the contact 
spring so that the clapper would hit only one stroke when 
the current passed through the electro-magnets of the bell. 
Then we connected up the bell to a good timepiece, as shown 
in Fig. 168. One wire, a, ran from the battery directly to 
the bell, and the other battery wire, b, was connected to the 



154 



The Scientific American Bov at School 



metal frame of the clock. A third wire, c, then ran from the 

bell to the face of the clock, where it was fastened in the 

path of the second hand. At the 

end of each minute, when the 

second hand came around and 

touched this wire, the current 

would run from the battery 




Fig. 167 — Mounted 

so that the clapper 

would hit the 

post 




Fig. 168 — Electrical con- 
nections of the bell 
and clock 



through the bell magnets, causing the clapper to hit the post. 
The slight tremor of the post at each blow of the clapper 
was recorded by the stylus A'^, just as if it were a tiny earth- 
quake, and thus every minute a jog was made in the line 
traced on the drum. These jogs may be clearly seen in the 
diagram, Fig. 153. 

Coating the Paper 
Our Chief Astrologer took charge of the seismograph 
and saw to it that the instrument was attended to every 
morning right after breakfast. The attendant would lift 
the drum off its bearings and put a new sheet of glazed paper 
on the drum, smoothing it down under the wire clips at each 



The Seismograph 



^SS 



end. Then he would coat the paper with soot over a smoky 
whale-oil lamp. The paper that he took off was carefully 
scrutinized to see whether any waves were recorded on It 
and if not it was thrown away. 



A Record from the West Indies 

One morning "Doc" came running up full of excitement. . 
There was a record on the drum, and he did not dare to 
take off the paper for fear of losing it. The whole school 
went down to see it. Professor James carefully removed the 
paper and then dipped it in alcohol. That "fixed" the soot 
so that there was no danger of its rubbing off. 

The record showed that the disturbance had taken place 
about six o'clock in the morning and must have been about 
1,500 miles away. A couple of days later our paper 
told us of a severe earthquake in the West Indies 
^ which had occurred before daybreak and routed 
the natives out of bed.' We had other records 
once in a while which "Doc" carefully 
dated and preserved, but our first record 
was about the best of the lot, and 
it was presented to Professor 
James, who had it framed 
and hung in his office. 




Fig. 169 — General view of the seismograph 



CHAPTER XIII. 
THE CANAL LOCK 

With the first signs of spring we hauled the "Lady Bug" 
down from the barn and placed her -in the water to soak. 
The seams were all sprung and she leaked like a sieve, but 
after soaking for several days we bailed her out and found 
her as tight as any one could wish. 

We had made great plans that winter as we sat around 
our little wood stove, and we were anxious to be at them. 
In the first place we wanted to establish some sort of com- 
munication between our pond and Jenkin's Lake. This lake 
was a quarter of a mile long and was connected by means of 
a wide mill race a full mile in length with Silver Lake, which 
was three-quarters of a mile long. While we could have lots 
of fun on our own little pond, we liked to get away once in 
a while for a good long row. It was no small task to get 
the "Lady Bug" over the dam into the stream below, and 
then we could not row far before striking a shallow rapids 
around which we had to guide the boat to get her into the 
lake. If we attempted to deepen this part of the stream we 
would have to dredge all the way back to the dam, which 
would have been a pretty difficult piece of work for us. 

An Engineering Problem 

Pharaoh summoned his Vizier, Chief Engineer, and Chief 
Admiral, and presented this engineering problem before 
them. After due deliberation we arrived at the following 
decision : We would build a slideway over the bank of our 
lake to the stream below and use the block and tackle to 



The Canal Lock 



157 



draw the boat up the shdeway. Then we would build a 
canal around the rapids with a lock in it to raise or lower 
the boat between the stream level and that of Jenkin's Lake. 

The Inclined Slideways 
As we wished to use the same tackle for hauling the boat 
out of our pond as was used for hauling it up out of the 
stream we selected a level spot on the bank from which we 
built two inclined slideways running to the pond on one side 
and the river on the other. The lake incline was easily 
made by digging away a part of the bank, but the other 
incline to the stream was a more difficult proposition. A 




Fig, 170 — A plank for the keel to slide on 

part had to be filled in and another part cut away. A plank 
A (Fig. jyo) was laid on the incline for the keel of the 
boat to slide on. The plank was nailed to cross-ties B, which 
In turn were nailed to stakes C. Then we bought one single 
and one double pulley block, fastened the single one to the 
stake and the other block E to the boat. The rope which 
ran around the pulleys, as indicated in Fig. 170, increased 



1 5 8 The Scientific American Boy at School 

our power four fold, so that it was an easy matter for two of 
us to pull the boat up one slide and lower it down the other, 
whereas it would have taken the entire club to do the work 
without the tackle. 

Surveying for the Lock 

The canal and lock were a very different proposition, but 
we profited by the example of the ancient Assyrians and 
built the lock in dry ground to one side of the stream. Then 
when it was entirely complete the canal was dug and con- 
nected first to Jenkin's Lake and then to the stream. To 
start with, a careful survey was made of the lock site to find 
out how much of a drop there was between the stream above 
the rapids and the lake below. The tripod was set up in the 
lake itself and adjusted to make the plane table as nearly 
level as possible. A rodman was stationed just above the 
rapids with the rod at the very edge of the water and 
"Sneezer" then sighted to the rod. After he had aimed it 
in the proper direction the telescope was trued up absolutely 
level. This done, "Sneezer" noted the spot on the rod that 
was cut by the cross hairs of the telescope. The height of 
this spot above the river was compared with the height of 
the telescope above the lake and the difference in level was 
found to be 17^ inches. Our boat, when heavily loaded, 
drew as much as 8 inches. That meant that the bottom of 
our lock must be at least 25^/^ inches below the level of the 
river and preferably 30 inches to allow plenty of clearance. 

The Canal Lock 

As our boat was 14 feet long and 4 feet wide we made 
the lock 5 feet wide and 20 feet long, because one of the 
gates of the lock had to swing inward. The course of the 



The Canal Lock 



159 



canal was staked out and at a suitable point near the lake 
a ditch was dug in the ground 6 feet wide and over 20 feet 
long. The surveying instrument was used to give us the 
desired depth of the ditch, viz., 30 inches below the level of 
the stream. At the upper end of the ditch a pair of 2 x 4 
scantlings were firmly driven into the ground with clearance 
of 5 feet between them. These were to form the up-stream 
gate posts, A^ of the lock. Two more scantlings, 5, 5 
feet apart, were driven into the ditch 20 feet away for the 




Fig. 171 — A line of sheet piling was driven into the ground 



down-stream gate. Between each pair a line of sheet piling 
was driven into the ground across the ditch to make a 
continuous wall. The sheet piling consisted of short boards, 
C, each cut with a sharpened end which slanted toward the 
board already driven so that it would crowd against this 
board when hammered into place with an ax. (See Fig. 
171.) At the downstream end of the lock the boards were 
sawed off about 3 inches above the floor of the ditch, while 
at the other end they were cut off at 20 inches above the 
bottom of the ditch. Each row was faced with a board, D, 
on the upstream side, which served as the sill of the gate, 



i6o 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



while other strips, E, were nailed to the sides of the posts 
for the jambs. The gaps between the gate posts and the 
sides of the ditch were closed with boards driven end-first 
Into the ground. The cracks between the boards were 
covered with strips of lath, F. Then the earth was filled In 
behind these boards and also back of each sill board until 
It was partly buried. The earth was well tamped all around 
the boards. 

The Upper Gate 

The upper gate of our lock was a single board, G, a foot 

wide and 5 feet long which was hinged to one of the posts 

with barn door hinges. A notch 6 Inches deep and over a 

foot wide was cut in the bottom of the gate near the outer 




Fig. 172 — The upper gate of the lock 

end, and a board, H, was provided to slide over the opening 
in slideways made, as shown In Fig. 172. 

This board was provided with a handle, /, that projected 
abov^e the top of the gate, so that it could be raised when- 
ever we wanted the water to flow through the ditch Into the 
lock. 

The Lower Gate 

The lower gate was more elaborate. It was 30 Inches 
high and was made of a row of boards fastened to a pair of 
2x4 sticks, K ( Fig. 173 ), 5 feet long. The cracks between 
the boards were covered with laths. A 12-inch wide opening 



The Catml Lock 



i6i 



H 



illMli;iiH'Alll\l//![lMffi il 



nwiWi 



n^'-^- ^wmm 



Fig. 173 — The lower gate 



was cut in the bottom of 
this gate and a slide, L, 
was provided to cover it 
like that in the upper 
gate. To prevent leak- 
age, strips of felt were 
nailed to the sills and 
jambs for the gates to 

close on. The gates were pulled open or shut with a rope 

fastened to the outer end of each one. 

Digging the Canal 

Our lock was now complete, and so we dug first the 
canal to Jenkin's Lake, 30 inches deep below river level. 
The lower gate of the lock was left open, and when our 
canal broke through into the lake the water backed up in 
It and filled the lock to a depth of about a foot. The upper 




^^^^^ 



Fig. 174 — A longitudinal section of the lock 



part of the canal was then dug to a depth of about a foot 
below thfr water level in the stream. When we were not 
using the lock the -upper gate remained closed and the lower 
one opened, because the water pressure against the upper 
gate was less than that against the lower one. 

The paddle wheels of the "Lady Bug" were always 
shipped when taking her over the incline and through the 



l62 



The Scientific American Box at School 



locks. The canal was too narrow for us to row through it, 
so we either had to pole the boat along or draw it with a 
towhne. The towline was not fastened to the bow, but a 
little way back, so that the boat would not be pulled toward 
shore as it was being towed. 

Passing Through the Locks 

When going through the locks toward the lake the lower 
gate was closed, and then the slide, H, in the upper gate was 
pulled open to let the water pour through. When the lock 
was filled to the brim the upper gate was pulled open, and 

the "Lady Bug" towed in. 
Then the upper gate was 
closed behind the boat, and 
the slide, L, in the lower 
gate was opened to let the 
water out of the lock. 
When it had fallen to the 
level in the lower canal the 
lower gate was opened, and 
the "Lady Bug" was towed 
out into the lake. On the 
return trip the process was 
reversed. After the boat 
had been towed into the 
lock the lower gate was 
shut, and water was let in 
through the upper gate until 
the lock was filled, when 
the upper gate was opened 
to let the boat be towed through the upper canal into the 
stream. 




JiNKllfjLAXi, 



Fifr. 175 — Map of the canal and vicinity 



The Canal Lock 



163 



The Inclined slldeway was built on the west side of the 
dam because the banks sloped to better advantage there, and 
we had to put the lock on the east side of the rapids because 
there were too many trees in the way on the west side. In 
order to cross from the towpath along the river to the path 
along the canal, we had to use a bridge. The banks of the 
river were quite low, and we would have to build the bridge 
and its approaches quite high to let the "Lady Bug" pass 
under, particularly when she carried a load such as the 
paddle mechanism. But our Chief Engineer proposed a 
scheme that was immediately indorsed by Pharaoh and his 
Council; namely, to build a drawbridge across the stream 
just above the head of the canal. 

The Drawbridge Above the Canal 

A spot was chosen where the branches of a large tree 
conveniently overhung the water. Piles were driven into the 
bed of the stream to support the stationary part of the 
bridge, which was built exactly like the dock In our pond, 
but with the posts well braced by means of diagonal strips. 
A gap of about 10 feet 
was left near the west 
bank for the draw span 
of the bridge. The draw 
was made of two planks a 
foot wide nailed near the 
ends to a pair of 2 x 4 

beams. The bridge was prevented from sagging at the center 
in the same way as our plank bridge over the moat around 
the lake house. Four holes were bored in the draw span just 
inside of each floor beam. Then heavy galvanized iron wire 
was strung from end to end of the span through the holes, 




Fig. 176— Four strands of wire on the 
under side 



1 64 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



so that there were four stands of wire on the under side of 
the bridge, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 176. Then 




Fig. 177 — The ilrawbridge above the rapids 



a board — as wide a board as we could find — was slipped 
between the wires and the planks and turned up on edge, 
drawing the wires so taut that the bridge bowed up slightly 



The Canal Lock 165 

at the center. The board was fastened in place with nails 
driven through the bridge floor and staples nailed over the 
wires. As a further precaution to prevent the board from 
slipping over one side or the other, several corner blocks 
were nailed to it and the planks of the bridge, as shown in 
Fig. 177. Three light posts were fastened to each side of 
the draw span and braced with inclined pieces. On these 
posts two light hand rails were secured. 

The draw span was then floated down to the bridge and 
hoisted up, so that it reached across the gap and rested on 
the stationary part of the bridge. Then the span was hinged 
to the pier at one side with a pair of barn-door hinges. Two 
ropes were fastened to the opposite end of the draw span. A 
double pulley block was suspended from a branch of an over- 
hanging tree, and the ropes were run through this block and 
tied to a counterweight consisting of a stout keg filled with 
stones. The counterweight partly balanced the weight of the 
draw and made it easier to lift. A hand rope was fastened 
to the bottom of the keg, and hung down within convenient 
reach when the draw was down. When the draw was raised 
it rested against the ends of the hand rail. The keg did not 
completely counterbalance the weight of the bridge, but 
merely assisted us at the start. When the draw was a little 
over half open the keg touched the ground and the rest of 
the lifting had to be done without the assistance of the 
counterweight. 

MightY proud we were of our waterway between the pond 
and Jenkin's Lake, and we used it constantly. After getting 
the "Lady Bug" down to Jenkin's Lake we would rig up the 
paddle mechanism and pedal through the long narrow race- 
way up to Silver Lake, much to the astonishment and amuse- 
ment of people who were out boating on these waters and 



1 66 The Scientific American Boy at School 

knew nothing of our own private pond and the things we 
were doing there. 

Collecting Tolls 

One day we met a boatload of persons at the lower end 
of our canal, who begged us to take them through the lock 
and on up to our lake. "Doc," who had an eye to business, 
charged them ten cents each way and made the two men in 
the boat get out and walk, but the ladies were allowed to 
ride as far as the incline, where they too had to get out and 
walk. We did not let them in to our lake house, as that was 
sacred property, but they were free to explore the rest of 
the pond and pole their boat as far as they wished up the 
stream which flowed into the upper end of the pond. The 
trip through the lock came to be quite popular, and every 
afternoon one or more boats would make the trip, while on 
Saturdays we were kept really quite busy, but we didn't mind 
because each trip meant twenty cents in the treasury of the 
club. 

Lake Moeris and the Nile 

We painted a sign which was nailed to a tree at the mouth 
of the lower canal giving our terms for the trip up the Nile 
and into the sacred Lake Moeris. As our time was too 
precious to be spent in attending the lock, and as the occu- 
pants of the boats which made the trips through it could 
haul their own boats up the incline, we left the matter 
largely in the hands of Tommy Fithian, a grandson of old 
Farmer Fithian, who had been so kind to us. We allowed 
him a quarter of the profits. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

HUNTING WITH A CAMERA 

Professor James had an older brother, Elliott, who 
might have been a twin brother, they looked so much alike, 
but there was this difference in them: Professor James was 
a crackerjack at mathematics and civil engineering and such 
things, but his brother did not know or care to know about 
anything but birds. He traveled all over the world to study 
them. He would go off on an all-day tramp, forgetting all 
about meals in his eager search for a rare species or with 
the object of studying the habits of well-known varieties. 
He never killed a bird in his life, but hunted them with a 
camera, and the pictures he had of them were simply great. 
He showed me one that it took him weeks to get. I thought 
I knew something about birds, but say, he could find a nest in 
two minutes where I might have looked an hour. 

A Man Up a Tree 

And where do you suppose we first met him? Shinning 
up a tree. Funny part of it was that we didn't know anything 
about him, and thought it must be Professor James. We 
had heard that Professor James was expecting a visit from 
his brother soon, but none of us supposed that he would come 
all the way from Philadelphia on foot. Bill and I were 
together when we saw a man skulking along the thicket that 
bordered our pond. 

"Hello ! What's up now?" I cried. "What's Professor 
James trying to do ?" 

"Looks funny, doesn't It?" replied Bill. "I believe he Is 



1 68 The Scientific American Boy at School 

spying on the gang." The rest of the boys were on the other 
side of the thicket, seated on the dock. 

"What do you think of that ?" The man was on his hands 
and knees, peering into the thicket. "That's how he caught 
us those two times. He must think there's another midnight 
meeting on foot. Never thought he was such a sneak. Guess 
we can play that game, too." 

"Oh, look, look!" The boys were coming back through 
the bramble path, and the man jumped up suddenly and 
made for a tall persimmon tree. In a moment he was run- 
ning up that tree like a monkey. 

"Hello there, Prof!" we cried. "What's up?" 

"I am," he answered facetiously. 

The rest of the boys gathered around, wondering what 
Professor James could be doing up a tree. "He was spying 
on you !" I exclaimed. "And when he heard you coming, he 
thought he would hide up that tree." 

"Come now! You don't think Professor James would be 
as small as that?" said a voice behind me. I turned around 
to see the real Professor James smiling at me. 

"Well, I'll be—" Words failed me. I know I blushed 
furiously. 

"Then who is the other fellow?" 

"Why, that must be my brother. Doctor Elliott James. 
It's just like him to walk all the way from Philadelphia 
instead of taking a train, so as not to miss a moment of bird 
study. You'll find that he is looking for a bird's nest or 
taking a general survey of the surroundings, so as to lay 
his plans for to-morrow and the next day. He's a won- 
derful hunter. 

"Hello there, Elliott! What have you found now?" 
called Professor James. 



Hunting unth a Camera 169 

"Oh, hello, Bob! I have just discovered the nest of a 
Buteo latissimus. Must take a shot at the birds to-morrow. 
Need them for my book on the birds of New Jersey. They 
are a pretty scarce bird in these parts, you know." 

"No, I don't know," said Professor James; "but I'll 
take your word for it. Let's stop talking of birds for five 
minutes. I want to introduce you to Mr. William Rameses, 
Mr. James Amenhotep, Mr. 'Doc' Amenophis, Mr. Ed- 
ward, alias 'Jumbo,' Unis, Mr. Roy Ahmosis, Mr. Ray- 
mond, alias 'Sneezer,' Menes, Mr. John, alias 'Jig,' Son- 
ches." 

"Look here, Bob. What are you trying to spring on me 
this time?" 

"Oh, nothing at all. You are being introduced to the 
Modern Order of Ancient Engineers, whose emblem is the 
Sacred Scarabeus and whose aim is to emulate the engineers 
and craftsmen of ancient times in resourcefulness. 1 hat is 
all I dare tell you about this club, of which I am a member, 
for fear of breaking my vow of secrecy. If you can spare 
an hour to-morrow, the club will take you over to the sacred 
Lake Moeris and show you the abode of the Sacred Scara- 
beus, and then they will pilot you down the Nile and around 
the rapids to the blue Mediterranean beyond." 

"Ah! an Egyptian club," said Doctor James. "How in- 
teresting! I sailed down the real Nile only last winter, 
studying the water birds of that region. I have some won- 
derful photographs of the Ibis aethiopica, which was sacred 
to the ancient Egyptians." 

"Now come on, Elliott. What do you suppose these boys 
know about the Latin names of ornithology ?" taking his 
brother by the arm and leading him toward the Academy. 
"Do forget birds for a minute and talk business. Aren't 



170 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



you at all tired? Where did you last have a square meal? 
Where's your trunk?" And as their voices died away In 
the distance Bill muttered, "He's a queer Dick. Clean nutty 
on birds, I guess." 

"Yes," I answered. "Not at all like Professor James. 
Funny they should look so much alike and be so different." 

An Early Morning Hunt 

Doctor James was not at the breakfast table the next 
morning. The chambermaid reported that his room was 

empty. "I expected as much," said 
Professor James. "He probably 
got up before daylight to hunt 
birds." 

It must have been after 10 
o'clock when "Doc" signaled to me 
to look out the window. There was 
Doctor James trekking homeward 
with the queerest hunting outfit you 
can imagine. A camera was swung 
over one shoulder, and a big green 
bag over the other. In one hand 
was a huge umbrella, grasped by 
the middle after the fashion of 
Uncle Josh Hayseed in the comic 
supplements. He had his tree 
climbers strapped to his legs, and 
several note books were jammed in 
his pockets. Altogether he made an 
odd-looking hunter. I supposed that the green bag was full 
of birds he had shot, because Professor James told us that 
he was a wonderful bird hunter; but I did not see any gun. 




Fi^- 178 — He made an odd- 
looking- hunter 



Hunting with a Camera 171 

As soon as the morning session of school ended we sought 
out Doctor Elliott James. He was in the library with a pile 
of books at his elbow, copying off his field notes and elaborat- 
ing on them. When we asked to see his morning's bag, 
he pointed to a roll of films hanging up to dry. "Is that all 
you got?" I asked. 

"All?" he exclaimed. "Why, that's a fine morning's 
work;" getting up to show us the negatives. "That one 
alone is worth a month's work;" and as Doctor Elliott 
James told us all about the birds, using the long Latin 
names to designate them, we were much impressed. 

"But didn't you shoot any birds?" asked "Doc." 

"Shoot them?" ejaculated Doctor James. "Shoot them? 
What would I want to shoot them for? I'm studying live 
birds, not dead ones." 

"Don't you trap them either?" 

"No; I wouldn't learn much about the life and habits of 
a bird that is locked up in a cage. I go to the bird In its 
own native haunts, and study the wild, free life it leads, 
where there is nothing to disturb it." 

"But the green bag?" I put in. 

"Oh, that is my shelter from which I take photographs 
without disturbing the timid creatures." 

The Ornithologist's Blind 

He explained to us just how the shelter was made, and 
how he used it for photographing birds that build their 
nests on the grounds or in low bushes. The shelter would 
be put up near the nest in full view of the birds. Then 
Doctor James would get his companion, if he had one, 
otherwise any person he happened to pick up, and both of 
them would enter the shelter, but only one of them would 



172 The Scientific American Boy at School 

leave it. Most birds are stupid enough to be fooled by such 
a ruse. They would forget the presence of the other party 
in the tent, and after a while when everything remained quiet 
would fly back to the nest to feed their young, when "click I" 
would go the camera shutter. 

A Guest of Honor 

Doctor James was the guest of the Scarabeans that after- 
noon. We took him on board the "Lady Bug" at the dam 
instead of the dock, because we wished to keep the pathway 
through the brambles secret to all who were not members of 
our club. We showed him all over Lake Moeris, and took 
him up our secret channel to the lake house, though we did 
not let him land on this sacred spot. Then we took him 
over the incline and down the river Nile. While we were 
getting the "Lady Bug" through the locks, Doctor James 
suddenly jumped out of the boat and dove into the bushes. 
We were so surprised that he disappeared before we knew 
it. One or two of us started to run after him, but Professor 
James called us back. "The same old Elliott," he laughed. 
"When he sees a bird, he forgets his manners and everything 
else. He's on the trail of some odd species, and we would 
spoil it all if we tried to follow him." 

On our way back to the Academy Professor James pointed 
out the tree where we had found his brother the day before. 
"Elliott is up to his old tricks again," he said. "He has a 
dummy camera up there pointed at that nest. It's merely 
a box with a hole in it for the lens of the camera to stick 
through when he takes a picture of the nest. The box Is put 
there for the birds to get accustomed to It. Tn a day or two 
he will put the camera In It and hide behind, a bush. Then 
when he sees a good chance he will spring the shutter by 



Hunting with a Camera 173 

electricity or by air pressure with a bicycle pump through a 
long tube." 

Photographing a Meadow Lark 

That night after dark Doctor James went out with his 
green canvas bag and umbrella and set it up in a neighboring 
field at a spot he had selected in the morning. We begged to 
go along with him, but he told us this was a job for one man 
alone. He wanted to photograph a meadow lark — Sturnella 
magna, he called it — on Its nest; and as the lark is an exceed- 
ingly shy bird, he had to set up his blind while the bird was 
abed and get into the shelter before daybreak. Then the 
lark would not be suspicious of the object, so long as it had 
not seen a human being rigging it up or loitering about It. 

A Representative of the Scarabeans 

Although Doctor James would not take us with him 
on this trip, he promised to take with him on the following 
afternoon, which was Saturday, any Scarab we elected. 
Bill was chosen for this honor, because It was quite probable 
that our club would want to copy Doctor James's methods, 
and Bill was the most observing of our number, except 
possibly "Doc"; but then "Doc" did not have quite so 
mechanical a head, and might not understand some Import- 
ant detail of the apparatus used by the great ornithologist. 
When Bill came back from the hunt, we all gathered around 
him to hear his report. 

"It was great," said Bill. "Doctor James Is a wonder. 
He would beat an Indian stalking game. He was up to all 
the bird tricks. They couldn't fool him. Why, he pointed 
out nest after nest over in Apgar's Swamp where we went 



174 77ir Scientific American Boy at School 

egg hunting last month and found only three, and he didn't 
take a single egg either. Said he never did. What he was 
studying was birds, and every egg he took meant one less 
bird to study later on. He'd rather wait any day till the 
eggs hatched, and then he could photograph the youngsters 
as they were growing up. He found one nest where the 
eggs were just hatched. Didn't look anything out of the 
ordinary to me at all, but he wanted a picture of the birds 
that built it. We set up the blind; and say, that blind is 
nothing more than a big umbrella stuck in the ground with 
a green curtain hung over it. I didn't see the birds, but he 
told me that one was eying us suspiciously from the thicket 
over at the left. Doctor James told me he would leave 
me alone inside, and let me take a photograph myself while 
he went off to fool the birds. He put a camp stool in the 
blind and gave me a book on birds to read, because I might 
have to wait half an hour or so before the birds plucked up 
courage enough to come back to the nest. He broke away 
one or two branches that were in the way, but was very 
careful not to expose the young birds to the direct light of 
the sun. What he wanted was a picture of the parents. He 
had the camera focused, and told me that all I had to do 
was to touch the button when the Pipilo erythrophthalmus 
came back. 'The what?' I cried. 'Say, Doctor, I'd better 
put that down, or I won't recognize the bird when he comes 
around.' So he wrote it out for me. I sat there comforta- 
bly reading the book, and once in a while peeking out 
through one of the slits in the curtain to see if the birds 
had come back. I could hear the bees droning and the 
twittering of birds about me, and it was so hot in that tent 
that pretty soon I fell asleep. It seemed to me I had been 
asleep nearly an hour. Then I woke with a start. Doctor 



Hunting with a Camera 175 

James said he would be back in an hour, and I would have 
to hustle to get the photograph before he arrived. I peeked 
out of the blind just in time to see a bird perched on the edge 
of the nest, while a chorus of gaping mouths clamored for 
something to eat. And say, what do you suppose it was? 
Nothing but an ordinary chewink. But it was a dandy 
picture to take, and I squeezed the bulb right away. While 
I was changing the plates so as to get some more views, 
Doctor James came back and the game was over. Much as 
I hated to, I had to tell him that I had been asleep at the 
post. But when he found out what a dandy group I had 
snapped, he seemed perfectly satisfied. He told me he had 
been back to the Academy for another camera, and had 
set it in the dummy in the persimmon tree near our lake. 
So we packed up the blind and went over there to take the 
next shot. And say, fellows, we didn't have to be so cautious 
about our bramble path. He led me right through it to the 
dock, and then through another trail I had never seen before 
into a small clearing from which he could watch the nest. 
He said he had located this spot from the tree. We crept 
under a bush, and I noticed he had a couple of wires run- 
ning from the camera to a battery alongside of him, and he 
held an electric push button in his hand. We had come in 
very stealthily by this roundabout way, so that the birds 
would not suspect us. Doctor James told me that it was a 
hawk's nest, and that the young hawks in the nest were 
almost^ full grown. He was going to wait until one of the 
parents came back to feed them. We didn't have long to 
wait, and, pretty soon, when they had taken just the right 
pose, 'click!' went the shutter of the camera. The hawks 
started up in alarm, but it was too late, the picture had been 
taken. Doctor James is developing the plates now." 



176 



The Scientific American Boy at School 




Fig. 179 — The electric shutter on 
the camera 



An Electric Shutter 
Bill had taken pains to examine the details of Doctor 
James's electric shutter, and although it was a little too 

elaborate for us to copy, he 
designed a simple construction 
that would do to set off my 
little snapshot camera. First 
he bought a pair of 5-ohm bell 
magnets. They cost about 35 
cents nowadays, but at that 
time we had to pay considera- 
bly more. They were fastened 
to a light baseboard, J, with a leather strap, as shown in 
Fig. 179. Pivoted above the magnets was an armature, B, 
consisting of a light stick with a block, 
C (Fig. 180), nailed to one side, and 
a smaller block, D, nailed to the other 
side. The block, C, was set directly 
above the magnets, and a piece of flat 
soft iron, E, was fastened to its lower edge by means of 
L-shaped screw hooks. The iron, which we got at a hard- 
ware store, was ^ inch wide, 2 
inches long, and % inch thick. The 
block, D, was notched to rest on 
the arm, F, of the shutter when the 
baseboard was fastened to the side 
of the camera, as shown in Fig. 
179. Next we bought a battery of 
three good-sized dry cells and two 
hundred feet of bell wire, cut the 
wire in two, and twisted the two 
lengths together Into a single cable. The two wires were 




Fig. 180 — The armature 




Fig. 181 — Touching the 
carbon to the zinc 



Hunting with a Camera 



177 



connected to the ends of the magnet wire. At the opposite 
end of the cable one wire was connected to the carbon of 
one cell and the other to the carbon of the second cell. Then 
the carbon of the second cell was connected to the zinc of the 
third cell, as shown in Fig. 181. Now, when the carbon of 
the third cell touched the zinc of the first, a current of elec- 
tricity flowed through the magnet, pulling down the iron 







Fig. 182 — Springing the shutter from a distance 

armature, E, and springing the shutter. Of course, we had 
to raise or lower the magnets until they were just close 
enough to the armature to spring the shutter. As the shutter 
was a trifle stiff, we hung a weight, G, on the end of the lever 
to help out the magnet. 

The Dummy Camera 

Our dummy camera was a small box just large enough to 
receive the camera. The box was painted leaf green, so that 
it woiild^not be very conspicuous, and when we used it we 
would place a few leav^es over it, so as to conceal it to a 
certain extent. A hole was bored in one end of the box 
directly in front of the lens of the camera, and two smaller 
holes in front of the finders, so that we could focus on the 
nest with the camera in the box. Of course, my camera was 



37' 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



not as good as Doctor James's, but we managed to take some 
fairly good pictures with it. 

The Umbrella Blind 

We also made a blind like that of Doctor James's. Bill 
found an old umbrella that had all its ribs intact. It was 
quite a large one, and just the thing for our blind. A hole ^ 
was cut in the cover at the top for ventilation, and the 
wooden handle was broken off. A stout pole H was then 
procured, about five feet long. One side was flattened, and 
on this flattened part the umbrella rod was laid lengthwise. 
A number of staples or double point tacks / were driven over 

the rod into the wood (Fig. 
183), but not so tightly that 
the rod could not be with- 
drawn from them length- 
wise. In the other end of 
the pole we drove a large 
nail /. The head was filed 
off, leaving a sharp spike 
sticking out about an inch 
from the wood. The fer- 
rule, K^ which we procured 
from the hardware store, 
was driven over the end of 
pole to prevent splitting. 
The curtain was made of brown cloth, baize or denim, 
I've forgotten which. We bought enough to make a strip 
two yards wide and more than long enough to reach around 
the umbrella when it was open. A hem was sewed In the 
top and bottom of the curtain, and a shirring rope L was run 
through the upper hem. 




Fig. 183— Details of the pole and 
umbrella 



Hunting mith a Camera 



179 



To set up the blind, we drove the spike of the pole into 
the ground, opened the umbrella, and slipped the rod into 
the staples. Then we wrapped the curtain around the um- 
brella and shirred it on. The upper hem was cut away at 
four points to expose the shirring rope and permit four guy 
ropes M to be looped over it. (See Fig. 184.) These guy 

ropes were fastened to 
stakes driven into the 
ground. The edges of the 
curtain were held together 
with a hook or two. The 
bottom of the curtain was 
weighted by filling the hem 
with sand. This was done 
to prevent the curtain from blowing open. The umbrella 
and upper half of the curtain were painted a solid leaf green, 
and from there down the color was gradually shaded off Into 




"7" 
hk-ighted £e/n^ 

Fig. 184 — A curtain of brown cloth 




Fig. 185 — The blind in use 



i8o 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



the natural mud brown of the cloth. This was done to make 
the blind less conspicuous in the woods. Several slits were 
cut in the side of the curtain, through which the photogra- 
pher could watch his quarry. 

Climbers 

Our bird-hunting outfit was now complete except for the 
climbers. Now there are mighty few trees a boy cannot 
climb, but we had to have some sort of apparatus for the 
purpose merely because Doctor James did. The climbers 
we used were not invented by us. Many readers of this 
book may know of them, but they are mentioned for the 
benefit of those who do not. A piece of 
heavy iron wire was bent around the 
tree we wished to climb, and its ends 
were joined; here it was twisted to form 
a figure 8, with large loop fitting loosely 
around the trunk, and the smaller loop 
serving as a sort of stirrup for the foot. 
Whe^i climbing a large trunk two climb- 
ers were necessary, one for each foot; 
but for a small tree a single climber 
would do because one could wrap his 
free leg around the tree trunk while 
raising the other to which the climber 
was attached. When the boy put his weight on the climber, 
the loop around the tree would be tipped down and would 
bind so that he could stand on it, without its sliding down 
the trunk, and take a fresh hold with the other leg. With 
two climbers the process was somewhat the same, but as the 
climbers could not pass each other, one foot had to be 
dragged behind the other. 




Fisr. 186 — A wire climber 



Hunting with a Camera i8i 



An Honorary Member 



Doctor James was with us a little over a week. Before he 
left us we elected him as an honorary member of our club 
because of his valuable suggestions on bird hunting. "Jig" 
Sonches, the Chief Artist, took a large bone (or may be it 
was celluloid) cuff stud, drew a picture of an Ibis on it and 
with infinite care went over the lines with a needle, scratching 
them deeply into the bone. Then the scratches were filled 
with red ink, making a very attractive little button. After 
Doctor James had been sworn in he was presented with one 
of our Scarab pins, and then Bill Rameses, Pharaoh of the 
Scarabs, decorated him with the Ibis button, and in an 
appropriate little speech informed him that the decoration 
was bestowed on him in view of his valuable services to the 
Scarabs. Doctor James was very much pleased with the red- 
veined button, and put it in the lapel of his coat. He made 
us a speech of thanks, but soon drifted into a talk on the 
sacred birds of Egypt which proved to be very interesting. 

Photographing "Wild Animals 

The camera hunting craze which Doctor James started 
in our club was not confined to birds alone. Bill worked 
out a scheme by which he could photograph animals as well. 
He had located a rabbit hole, and meant to have a picture 
of Bunny. He rigged up a lever, like that shown in Fig. 
187. It consisted of a broad, light strip of wood A, with a 
piece of rusty tin B tacked to one end, and a brass screw was 
driven through it at the other end, point upward. The 
lever was laid on the ground with the tin directly in front of 
the rabbit hole, so that the rabbit would have to step on it 
when he came out. Bill scooped away the dirt under the 



l82 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



tin, so that it would move down ever so lightly, not more 
than a quarter of an inch, may be, under the weight of the 




Fig. 187 — The lever in front of the rabbit hole 

rabbit. The opposite end of the lever would then be lifted 
up, wedging the screw C in a piece of thin brass, doubled as 
shown at D in Fig. 1 88, and fastened to a stake driven in the 

ground- A wire connected the 
screw C with the carbon of 
cell No. 3 of our battery, and 
another wire connected the 
brass D with the zinc of cell 
No. I. The rest of the con- 
nections were exactly as they 
had been for taking the picture 
of the bird's nest in the tree; 
so that when the screw touched the brass, the electric circuit 
would be completed and the shutter would be sprung. 

An Unexpected Portrait 
The camera was trained on the rabbit hole, and it, to- 
gether with the lever and cam, was concealed as far as 
possible with leaves and dirt. Several hours later we 
returned to find our shutter sprung, and we hurried to the 




Fig. 188 — The electrical contact points 



Hunting with a Camera 183 

dark room to develop the plate. It came out beautifully, but 
instead of a rabbit we found a mud turtle In the act of creep- 
ing onto the tin. This was something of a disappointment, 
but we tried it again, and this time we were more successful. 
Bunny had taken his own picture while crawling out of his 
burrow. 

Under-"Water Photography 
Having succeeded with bird, beast, and reptile, Chief 
Admiral Roy Ahmosis proposed that we try our luck with 
under-water photography. He explained that the main 
reason why it is difficult to see the bottom of a pond, even 
when the water is clear, is because the light reflected by 
the surface of the water, particularly when it is rippled, is too 
strong. His father, he said, had a water telescope which was 
just a tube with a glass at one end which he stuck into the 
water. When he looked through this he could see plainly if 
the water was not muddy, because he could avoid the 
surface glare. He proposed that we do the same thing with 
a camera — place it under water, and take pictures of the 
fishes. It sounded a little wild, but that did not prevent us 
from trying the scheme. 

The Float Box 
"Jumbo" made a box, which we coated with parafEne 
inside to close all seams. In the bottom of the box was a 
hole covered with glass. The glass was held in place by 
means of tack heads along the edges, and then it was sealed 
in with^putty, which in turn was painted with shellac to keep 
the water out. The camera B was placed in the box, point- 
ing downward, with the lens directly over the glass-covered 
opening. The box was quite a little larger than the camera, 
and there was plenty of room alongside of it for another 



1 84 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



glass-covered opening C, through which we could see what 

the camera was trained on. 

We expected to float the box in the water, tipping it over 

on its side. The back of a fish is usually of such a color that 

it can hardly be distinguished from the mud bottom, and 

unless we tilted the camera so 
as to take a partial side view 
of the fish, it would probably 
be invisible or nearly so in the 
photograph. To prevent the 
water from entering the box 





Fig. 190— Like the hood 
of a stereoscope 




Fig. 189 — The camera was ]ilaced in tlie 
box pointing downward 



Fig. 191 — He would point the 
box this wav and that 



when it was tipped, we nailed a narrow board D across the 
top, leaving only space enough for the camera to be taken 
out. A black cloth curtain E was fastened all around this 
opening and extended up to an oval board F, to which it 
was tacked. A piece of cardboard G, which was tacked to 



Hunting ivith a Camera 185 

the board over the cloth, was cut to fit against the face like 
the hood of a stereoscope, and two holes were bored Into the 
board for the eyes to look through (Fig. 190). This was 
fastened to the head by means of a strap H. The shutter 
of the camera was sprung by pulling a string /, which was 
fastened to the shutter arm and ran through a screw eye / 
and thence through the board D, terminating in a ring K. 
A handle L was fastened to the box. 

Taking Pictures of Fish 

The apparatus was used chiefly on Silver Lake, where 
the water was very clear. Admiral Roy would float the box 
at the stern of the "Lady Bug," with the hood strapped over 
his head. Then he would drift slowly over the lake, taking 
care that his motion was toward the sun rather than away 
from it, so that he would be in advance of his shadow. Very 
quietly he would point the box this way and that until he 
could see through the glass-covered opening a view worth 
photographing. Then with a pull on the ring K the exposure 
)vouId be made. Of course, he could only guess the direction 
to point the camera, and many photographs showed nothing 
because the fish that was in the field of the 4x4 opening was 
not in the field of the camera. 

A Failure 

Having met with some success with the apparatus, Roy 
thought he would try something more dlfl^icult. He was 
going to fake the picture of a muskrat in much the same way 
as Bill got the rabbit photograph. There was a muskrat 
hole under a large tree at the upper end of the lake. In 
front of this hole he drove a stake, and fastened the box to 
It in such a way that the camera pointed directly at the hole. 



1 86 The Scientific American Boy at School 

Then he drove a stake in the ground at the water's edge, and 
pivoted a lever on it with a nail. To the bottom of the lever 
a fan-shaped branch was tied directly over the opening. A 
string connected the upper end of the lever with the shutter 
arm in such a way that when the muskrat came out of its hole 
it would push the branch away, swinging the lever on its 
pivot and snapping the shutter. But here a difficulty pre- 
sented itself. The camera could be set only when the sun was 
shining directly on the hole, and the muskrat did not seem 
inclined to use this doorway while the sun was shining. 
When, one afternoon, the shutter was sprung, the picture 
was worthless, because the water was too dirty, and the mud- 
colored animal, if he were in the picture, was so nearly the 
color of his surroundings that it was impossible to make 
him out in the photograph. 



CHAPTER XV. 

THE GLIDING MACHINE 

We made it a point to keep right up to date in our club. 
We were constantly hunting for something new to make. At 
one time we seriously considered building a tunnel under our 
stream after the manner of the old Assyrians. But Pro- 
fessor James forbade us to undertake anything so serious 
as that. Our next wild scheme was to build a hot-air balloon 
big enough to lift a boy, and a parachute so that we could 
come down just like the man in the circus. But this, too, was 
discouraged by Professor James. Then, one day Bill saw in 
an illustrated paper some pictures of a flying machine. Here 
was an inspiration. We would build a flying machine. But 
how were we to do it? We dared not consult Professor 
James, because he would quite surely turn down a scheme 
like that. Our machine was to be constructed on scientific 
principles, and we would launch it from the top of our lake 
house so that in case of a fall there would be no bones 
broken. But, how were we to build the machine? Bill 
and I pored over that magazine article and studied it with 
as much interest as if it had been a deep and mysterious 
detective story. True, the machine in the article had been 
smashed at the first attempt at flight, very nearly killing the 
inventor, but the inventor explained that the accident was 
due to a loose bolt and he was confident that the next venture 
would be successful. We went over the photographs with 
a magnifying glass, trying to ferret out the details of the 
construction. But the magnifying glass did not help us in 



1 88 The Scientific American Boy at School 

the least. All we could see through the glass was a lot 
of big dots and no picture at all. 

Professor James took us unawares while we were in the 
midst of our investigation. 

"Aha! Studying aerial navigation? As your first lesson 
in this most modern sport I would recommend that you look 
up the experience of Darius Green. You know how he built 
a flying machine and jumped off the roof." 

"But," interrupted Bill, "we are going to build our 
machine along scientific lines, and we are going to start from 
the roof of our lake house so that if we should fall we would 
drop into the water and no bones would be broken." 

"Now, look here. Bill, why do you suppose Darius Green 
fell? It was not because his machine was not correctly built. 
He would have fallen with any machine no matter how scien- 
tifically it had been designed. The trouble was he did not 
know how to fly, and if he had made his first attempt over 
water as you intend to do the chances are that when he fell 
he'd have been struck by one of the spars or some other part 
of the machine and been rendered unconscious or have been 
so tangled in the wreckage that he could not swim out to save 
himself. You have to learn to ride a bicycle, don't you, and 
you can't do it without a few falls at least. Fortunately a 
fall from a wheel does not often oause broken bones or 
death, otherwise there would not be many bicycle riders in 
the world to-day. But with a flying machine the case is 
different. A fall is so serious that you must learn how to 
fly before you make your first venture in the machine. I 
know that sounds like learning to swim without going near 
the water. But there is a contrivance called a gliding 
machine, something like a huge box kite, with which the 
would-be aeronauts can practice flying without rising more 



The Gliding Machine 189 

than a foot or two off the ground. It teaches the novice to 
feel perfectly at home in the air so that he can balance his 
machine intuitively as a bicyclist balances his wheel, just by 
the 'feel' without stopping to give the matter a thought." 

A Gliding Machine 
Professor James did not know exactly how to build a 
glider, but he did not think it was beyond our abilities and 
he had a friend out West who had dabbled quite a bit in 
aeronautics and he promised to write to him for information 
on the subject. It seemed like an age before we got an 
answer and our interest in flying machines had almost died 
out when it was suddenly revived by a fat letter addressed to 
Messrs. William Rameses and James Amenhotep containing 
full directions for making a glider "youth's size." Thanks 
to the revenue from the canal lock our treasury was in a 
prosperous condition and we could well afford to buy the 
materials called for in the letter. For the frame of the 
machine we got the following sticks of spruce wood from 
a saw mill. Spruce is always the best material for spars, 
whether on a sailboat or a flying machine. 

4 main bars 16 feet long ^4 inch thick and i^ inch wide 

2 rudder bars 4 feet long 34 inch thick and i34 inch wide 

12 posts 3 feet long ^ inch square 

12 crosspieces 3 feet long ^ inch square 

38 ribs 45 inches long H inch wide and J4 inch thick 
4 rudder frame 

sticks 12 feet long ^ inch square 

Making the Main Frame 

First, we took two of the longest sticks and laid them on 

the floor. They were connected by six of the three-foot 

posts, one placed at each end, a pair at the center, two feet 

apart, and the other two three feet from the ends. The 

posts were glued fast and were also held in place by a single 



190 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



small brad at each joint. The other two 16-foot bars were 
similarly connected by crossbars glued fast. The two 
frames were set on edge and connected by the 32-inch cross- 
bars which were glued and then clamped together by a piece 



MAIN BAR 




.4- it _^..24._)it 

-16 ft. 

Fig. 192 — One of the 16-foot frames 

of wire bent over the crosspiece, under the main bar and 
around the post. Here the wire was tightened until it bit 
into the wood by twisting the ends with a pair of pliers. 
(See Fig. 193.) We had to be careful when twisting the 



CROSS PIECE 





Fig. 193 — Tightened until it bit 
into the wood 



RIGHT "WRONG 



Fig. 194 — The proper way 
to twist wire 



wire to keep one from doing all the twisting while the other 
staid practically straight. (See Fig. 194.) Some one 
showed us that the best way to secure an even twist of both 
wires was to pull them both equally taut when starting the 



The Gliding Machine 



191 



twist. Another thing we had to look out for was that the 
wire would break unless we stopped twisting It at the right 
moment. 

Bracing the Frame 
After the frame had been glued together we connected all 
opposite corners with guy wires, draw- 
ing them as tightly as possible and then 
tightening them by means of light bolts 
or machine screws. Each bolt was fur- 
nished with two washers In which we 
filed notches, A (Fig. 195), at opposite 
sides. The wires from four corners 
were looped over a single bolt and 
seated In the notches. Then when the 
nut was screwed up all four wires were tightened at once. 




Fig. 195 — Four wires 
tightened at once 




Fig. 196 — The frame before the sail planes were put on 

Fig. 1 96. shows how the frame looked after It was braced. 
The dotted lines Indicate the rudder frame. 

The Sail Planes 
Next we bought 20 yards of unbleached muslin, a yard 
wide, for the sail planes of the glider. Of this we made 



192 



The Scientific American Boy at School 




Fig. 197 — Pockets for the ribs 



three strips, one 16 feet long by 4 feet wide, and the other 
two 7 feet by 4 feet. The ribs, B, were laid on the three 
pieces of cloth, and spaced a foot apart. Narrow pieces 
3f cloth, C, were placed over the ribs and stitched fast, 
forming pockets for the ribs to be slipped into. (Fig. 197.) 
The larger plane was now laid on the upper deck of the 

frame, pocket side up, and 
each rib was lashed to the 
main bar by a criss-cross of 
wire twisted up tightly with 
the pliers. The wire 
passed through the cloth 
over the ribs and was twisted tightly enough to sink into 
the wood. The ribs were also fastened to the rear main bar 
with wire, but as each one was made fast It was pushed 
forward about an Inch 

so as to make it bow -. n ■ -^ 

up slightly. (See Fig. 
198.) In this way we 
got a curved surface 
which was made uni- 
form by pushing each 
rib forward exactly the same distance. The rear ends of 
the ribs which projected beyond the frame were connected 
with a piece of strong twine, and over this the muslin was 
lapped and glued. After this had set the cloth, which 
extended about an inch and a half over the front edge, 
was pulled taut over the front frame bar and glued and 
tacked to the under side of the bar. In the same way the 
other two cloth frames were lashed to the bottom of the 
frame, pocket side up, leaving a space two feet wide at the 
center for the operator of the machine. 




Fi"-. 198 — Side view of the clider 



The Gliding Machine 



193 



The Rudder Frame 
The four rudder frame bars were now glued and lashed to 
the main frame. They passed under the front main bars and 
through holes in the cloth over the rear main bars on each 
side of the two center posts, so that when the rudder frame 
was horizontal the sail frames tipped upward. The bars 




Fig. 199 — Plan view of the gliding machine 

projected forward about four and a half feet. At the rear, 
the two upper sticks, D, were bent inward and fastened to- 
gether (see Fig. 198), and then the lower sticks, E, were 
fastened together, while at the forward end each of the 
upper sticks, D, was bent downward and fastened to lower 
stick, E. " (See Fig. 200.) 

The Rudders 
For the rear rudder we used a strip of cloth, F, with a rib, 
G, at the forward and rear edges to stiffen it. This was 
stretched between the upper and lower sticks of the rudder 



194 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



frame, as shown in Fig. 198, and tied fast because we did not 
Intend to use the rudder for steering. 

The front rudder was horizontal, H, and it was four feet 
wide. It was stiffened lilce the main frames with ribs placed 
one foot apart and attached to two rudder bars, /. The 
rudder was hinged to the frame by means of two pairs of 
screw eyes, one pair threaded into the upper frame sticks, D, 

and the other into the rud- 
der bars. The screw eyes 
on the rudder were pried 
open and linked through to 
the screw eyes on the 
frame, after which they 
were hammered shut. Two 
cords, K (Fig. 198), were 
attached to the rear end of 
the front rudder and passed 
over pulleys at the top of 
the machine and down under 
pulleys at the bottom of the machine and thence back to the 
rudder. The space at the center of the glider was nar- 
rowed to about 18 inches by laying a pair of 3-inch wooden 
strips, L (Fig. 199), across the lower deck for the aeronaut 
to rest his arms upon. 

The First Glide 

Of course, we could not build a machine 16 feet long in 
our lake house, and though we disliked the publicity of it we 
had to use the barn for our workshop. The whole school 
found out what we were up to and when the machine was 
finally done, and we took it to a meadow near by to give it a 
trial a large crowd of boys trooped after us. Bill selected a 




Fig, 200 — How the front rudder was 
attached 



The Gliding Machine 



195 



irq" 




196 The Scientific American Boy at School 

spot where the ground sloped down hill quite sharply. Slip- 
ping his shoulders through the opening in the lower deck of 
the glider he rested his arms on the two boards, L, and ran 
down hill until the machine began to lift him off his feet. It 
lifted him more suddenly than he expected. The first thing 
he knew the front of the machine shot into the air and down 
it fell backward. 

Bill was not hurt. There was plenty of framework 
around him to break his fall. He was much more concerned 
about the machine than himself. The two lower rudder 
frame sticks were broken and the rear main bar of the lower 
deck and several of the ribs were smashed. We had to 
replace the rudder frame sticks and the ribs, but succeeded in 
splicing the main frame bar. 

The next time Bill tried the gliding machine he was content 
to run it over level ground instead of trying a hill. It was 
so easy to smash the machine, and it took so long to repair 
the damage, that it paid to be careful. Besides, Bill realized 
that there was more to gliding than he had ever imagined. 
He found it hard enough to run the machine along the level. 
The head had a way of ducking up or down and he had to 
stop it by working the front rudder up and down. When 
he pulled down on the rudder ropes the rear of the rudder 
w^as tipped up and the machine shot downward, and when he 
pulled the ropes up the reverse took place and the machine 
shot upward. The slightest tilt of the rudder caused a 
decided dive up or down, and it took some very careful 
manipulating to run the machine properly. 

Gliding Contests 

Bill was not the only one who ran the machine. The rest 
of us all tried our hand at it and soon learned how difficult a 



The Gliding Machine 197 

matter It was to keep the thing on an even keel. When we 
did get the hang of it we had lots of fun skimming over the 
ground. We would run with the machine at top speed and 
then when we felt ourselves being lifted would raise our feet 
and glide as far as we could before touching ground again. 
We had quite a contest trying to discover which one of us, 
could glide the farthest. A test was made In the meadow 
where Bill had his first fall, but we knew how to manage the 
horizontal rudder now and could easily negotiate the gentle 
incline when there was no wind blowing. We always sailed 
over level ground when there was a breeze and directed 
the machine against the wind and not with it. The rear 
rudder of the machine was never moved because we had our 
hands full controlling the front rudder and were content to 
fly In a straight line. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

CAMPING IDEAS 

Summer vacation was upon us almost before we knew it. 
We realized that there was danger of having our lake house 
wrecked and our boat smashed or stolen by the Mulligans. 
But we meant to reduce the danger as much as possible, so 
we cleared it of the work bench, table, stove, etc., leaving 
nothing but the bare walls. Even the door was unhinged, 
and the windows removed from their frames and stored in 
the school barn. The boat, too, was hauled out of the water 
and dragged up to the barn, where it could not be meddled 
with. We drove a line of sheet piling across the mouth of 
the upper canal, and then drained the water out and unhinged 
the lock gates. Several stout stakes were driven In the 
entrance of the lower canal, to keep out boating parties. 

Planning a Summer Outing 

The Scarabs had a farewell banquet before leaving for 
their several homes. That did not mean that we would not 
meet again before fall. It happened that three of the 
Scarabs, "Jumbo," "Sneezer," and "Jig" lived within twenty 
miles of my home, and Bill was to spend part of his vacation 
with me, so we five decided to go camping for a couple of 
weeks in the hills near my home. 

Bill had some great camping Ideas that we wished to try 
out. He had been studying all the books he could get on the 
subject, but they soon disgusted him. What one book recom- 
mended, another ridiculed. One author sang the praises of 
the sleeping bag, and another said that no true woodsman 



Camping Ideas 



199 



would think of using one. The same fellow said that there 
was nothing like a head net to keep off the insects, while the 
first one made a slurring remark about those would-be 
woodsmen that wear a woman's veil to keep off a bug or two. 
And so it went with the building of fires, the cooking of 
meals, etc., and Bill finally came to the conclusion that we 
would have to try things out for ourselves. 

Sleeping B^s 

Fortunately we had a tent, the one we used on Willow 
Clump Island the summer before, and Bill and I each had a 
sleeping bag. Bill carefully instructed the others how to 
make their own sleeping bags. The design was his own, but 
it proved to be a very good one. The inside of the bag was 
merely a blanket folded lengthwise and sewed together at the 
bottom, leaving the sides and top open, so that one could get 
into and out of it quickly. 

The covering for the bag was made of medium-weight 
canvas or heavy 
drill. About 6^ 
yards of goods, 30 
inches wide, were 
required. The cloth 
was cut as shown in 
Fig. 202. One strip, 
J, was 31^ yards 
long, and another 
strip, B, 2 yards 

long. A strip, C, Fig. 202 — Pattern for the canvas covering 

was made from a 

single yard of goods cut in two with the ends sewed together, 

so that it would be 2 yards long and 1 8 inches wide. Out of 




200 The Scientific American Boy at School 

the rest of the goods, a piece i8 inches square was cut. This 
square was then cut from corner to corner, to make two tri- 
angular pieces, D. The pieces A, B, and C were sewed to- 
together along their edges. Then the piece, C, was folded 
on piece A, as indicated by the arrow c, and the two were 
sewed together at the bottom. Next the piece B was folded 
on piece A, and the bottoms were sewed together. Snap fast- 
eners were used instead of buttons to fasten the strip B to 
strip C when the bag was in use, because in case of an emer- 
gency they could be ripped open very quickly to let the sleeper 
out, while buttons would be more apt to prove troublesome, 
particularly if the buttonholes were at all stiff. Furthermore, 
none of us cared for the job of sewing buttonholes. Snap 
fasteners are sold by the yard on tape, and the tape was 
sewed to the canvas instead of sewing each fastener on sepa- 
rately. 

At the upper end of the bag the piece A extended far 
enough to make a hood and the pieces D were used as the 
side flaps of the hood. Two sides of each triangle were 
sewed to the hood. Starting at the end of the strip A we 
sewed first alongside / of the triangle, then folding the 
hood over, as indicated by the arrow d, we sewed the side 
h to it. Then two loops E were sewed to the hood. 

Waterproofing the Bags 
The bag was made waterproof by painting it with paraf- 
fine. A good-sized cake of paraffine was grated or shaved 
into small pieces and dissolved in turpentine. Then with a 
large paint brush a good coat of paraffine was applied to the 
outside of the canvas covering. 

The Sleeping Bags in Use 
The sleeping bags were not used for sleeping out in the 



Camping Ideas 



2or 



open except on one or two occasions, when we left camp on a 

trip of exploration. Then we took care to put the bags on the 

windward side of the 

camp fire, so that no 

sparks or embers 

would be blown on to 

them and set them 

afire. The bag was 

always laid head-on to 

the wind, so that In 

case of a storm the 




Fig. 203 — The sleeping bag 



rain would not be blown in under the hood. Two stakes 
were driven into the ground at each side of the bag, and the 
loops E were caught on them, so as to hold up the hood as 
shown in Fig. 204. The blanket bag was then put inside the 
canvas bag. A pillow was stuffed into the hood, and the 




Fig. 204 — Laid head-on to the wind 

owner crawled in, pulled the blanket over him, snapped the 
fasteners together, and then went to sleep. 

Pine Beds 
The canvas bag kept the moisture out, so that we could lay 



202 The Scientific American Boy at School 

it on the ground anywhere we chose, but it did not prevent 
the humps and bumps of the ground from wearing holes in us, 
making us very stiff and sore before morning. When we had 
the chance we would cover the ground with pine boughs, but 
usually on our camping trips we could do no more than pick 
out a fairly clear spot and brush away the pebbles, twigs, etc. 
In camp, however, we had a good pine bed under the tent. 
Bill tried to make one according to directions he had read in 
a book. He broke off the smaller branches or twigs of pine, 
and set them upright in the ground with the tops all leaning 
over in the same direction. They were arranged in rows 
about 6 inches apart, and were driven quite firmly into the 
ground, so as to make a nice springy bed that would not 
fall over when we lay upon it. The entire floor of the tent 
was covered except for a lane down the center and a space 
at the back where we kept our clothing. It took an endlessly 
long time to make this bed, and Bill vowed he'd never make 
another in that way. It was certainly a fine one while it 
lasted, the best pine bed I ever slept on; but it soon began to 
break down, and though it was repaired several times, we 
finally gave up in despair, tore it out, and thereafter made 
a fresh bed each night of pine boughs strewn on the ground. 
We were careful to lay the boughs convex side up, so that the 
ends would stick into the ground rather than into us. 

A Fireless Cooker for the Camp 

We had great times in camp those two weeks. "Jumbo" 
proved to be an exceptionally fine cook, but he did not have 
to stay at home while the rest of us were out enjoying our- 
selves, because Bill had rigged up a fireless cooker. "Jumbo" 
would cook the evening meal right after breakfast, while 
the rest of us were washing and drying the dishes or tidying 



Camping Ideas 203 

up the camp. Then he would put the food in the fireless 
cooker before it was half done, and go off with the rest of 
us. "Sneezer" always prepared the cold lunch which we took 
with us. The food in the cooker would cook slowly all day, 
and at night it would be ready to serve. After supper 
"Jumbo" would prepare the oatmeal for breakfast, and 
let it cook over night in the fireless cooker. Of course, the 
cooker was used only for such foods as take a long time to 
cook, like boiled ham, potatoes, stews, etc. We did not use 
it for fried foods. 

Construction of the Cooker 

The fireless cooker was made as follows : Bill picked out 
a well-drained spot near the camp kitchen where there was a 
small mound. A hole was dug in the mound about 2 feet 
deep, and a trench was cut at the bottom of the hole to the 
edge of the mound to drain off any water that might collect 
in the hole. The hole and trench were then paved with a 
thick layer of stones and pebbles. Afterward the trench was 
filled with stones and covered over with dirt. Next we got 
some ashes from the camp fire, and put a layer 3 or 4 inches 
thick over the paving of the hole. On the ashes we placed a 
thick layer of newspapers, and a large galvanized iron pail 
A was set on the paper in the middle of the hole. Another 
thick layer of paper was wrapped around the pail, and the 
hole was then filled with ashes up to the top of the pail. A 
board B with a large hole cut in the center of it was fitted 
over the pail and ashes. As a lid for the fireless cooker Bill 
took another board of the same size and nailed a feather 
pillow to the under side. 

The food, after being partly cooked, was put in a covered 
tin pail C (Fig. 205) and lowered, pail and all, into the fire- 



204 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



less cooker. Then the lid was put on pillow side down. 

The outside of any solid food cooks before the inside 
does, and the object of the fireless cooker was to cook the 
inside with the excess heat that was stored up in the outside. 
As the heat could not escape through the paper and the 







Fig. 205 — Section through the fireless cooker 

feather pillow, it worked its way through the raw parts of 
the food, and thoroughly cooked them through and through. 
Sometimes "Jumbo" would place a hot brick or stone in the 
fireless cooker, as shown at D in the illustration, so as to pro- 
vide a little more heat. 

An Iceless Refrigerator 
Another useful device for camp cooking was designed by 
Bill. The year before we kept our drinking water in a can- 
vas pail which was hung up in the wind, so that the moisture 
that oozed out of the pores of the canvas would rapidly 
evaporate, and thus cool the water inside. Bill suggested 



Camping Ideas 



205 



that we make an iceless refrigerator in the same way. A 
wooden disk E was cut just large enough to fit over the top 
of a galvanized-iron pail F, with an inch to spare all around. 
Three or four blocks G were nailed to the bottom of the disk 
to fit against the inside of the rim of the pail, as shown in 
Fig. 206. A curtain of cheese 
cloth H (Fig. 207) was 
tacked in a double layer to the 
edge of the disk. The cur- 
tain was long enough to hang 
over the pail, and extended 
an inch or two below it, so that 
it would dip into a pan / on 





Fig. 206 — Construction of 
the refrigerator 



Fig. 207 — The iceless 
refrigerator 



which Wit pail rested. The upper end of the curtain ex- 
tended above the wooden disk, and was stuffed into several 
holes in a deep tin pan /, which rested on the disk. The 
pan was filled with water and the cheese cloth was stuffed 
in so tightly that only enough water oozed out to keep the 



2o6 The Scientific American Boy at School 

fabric wet. The pan below was designed to catch the drip 
of the curtain, if there were any, and it also supported the 
refrigerator. Three holes were punched through the sides 
of the pan /, and three cords were tied through the holes. 
These cords terminated in loops at the upper ends, which 
were caught on a heavy wire hook K. The hook was at- 
tached to a rope, which was slung over the branch of a tree. 
By pulling the opposite end of this rope we could raise the 
refrigerator up high, where it would get the full sweep of 
the wind and where the moisture in the wet cheese cloth 
would evaporate quickly. Whenever we wished to take 
something out of the refrigerator, all we had to do was to 
lower it, unhook the cords, and lift off the disk, curtain, pan, 
and all. The things we put in the pail, such as milk, butter, 
etc., were not kept ice cold, but yet they were much cooler 
than they would have been anywhere else. 

Waterproof Matches 

There was another useful little camping kink that Bill 
picked up somewhere. The heads of all the matches we had 
with us were dipped in melted paraffine. This kept them 
dry, even if they were left out in the rain. It made safety 
matches of them, too, because the paraffine kept them from 
igniting when they were shaken around in the box. When we 
scratched the matches they lighted about as readily as an or- 
dinary match, but the flame was more persistent because of 
the paraffine. 



CHAPTER XVII. 
THE HAUNTED HOUSE 

There was a big time at the old Academy when the 
Scarabs all went back In the fall. When Bill and I ar- 
rived we stopped at the school just long enough to leave our 
luggage and tore over at once to Lake Moeris. We were 
delighted to find the lake house intact. Apparently the Mul- 
ligans had not the ambition to drag a boat up over the dam 
and row across to it. They had found our path through 
the brambles and had tried to burn our dock. The land 
end was destroyed but the rest was only slightly charred, 
and it would not take long to repair it. The dam had been 
meddled with but not seriously injured, but the drawbridge 
above our canal was totally destroyed. After all, things 
might have been worse, and we were mighty glad our club 
house had not been destroyed. 

When we got back to the dam we saw "Doc" sitting on the 
bank of the lake gazing pensively across the water. 

"Why, hello, 'Doc' !'^ we both cried, rushing forward to 
greet him. "How's the boy?" 

"Doc" remained motionless, staring into space. 

"Why, what's the matter, old man?" I said. "Feeling 
homesick?" 

" A Message from the Sacred Scarabeus 

"Disturb me not," he answered, without moving his head. 
"A spirit of prophecy has come over me. The Great Sacred 
Scarabeus is speaking to his humble servant." 

"Oh, quit your fooling!" interrupted Bill. 



2o8 The Scientific American Boy at School 

"Amenophls has been studying the portents in the 
heavens," continued "Doc." "Last week, as the pale young 
moon sank into the bosom of the western plains, the dark 
evil-eyed planet Saturn, emissary of the lower regions, fol- 
lowed after her in close pursuit, but the young crescent has 
shaken off its antagonist. Watch the eastern sky this eve and 
behold the growing glory of this celestial body. Even so shall 
the sons of the Sacred Scarabeus increase in the wisdom and 
the knowledge of the mystic sciences and arts, while they 
laugh their enemies to scorn." 

"Well done!" said Bill, entering into the spirit of the 
game. "But remember that Pharaoh is also a high priest of 
the Sacred Scarabeus, holding equal rank with Amenophis, 
and it behooves you to greet him with a little more respect." 

"The words of Pharaoh are truth," answered "Doc," 
*'but the mind of Pharaoh is occupied with temporal af- 
fairs. Therefore, the spirit of prophecy and the power of 
divination have been withheld from the mind of Pharaoh 
and given unto his servant Amenophis. The humble Ameno- 
phis can discern that which is hidden from the eyes of 
Pharaoh." 

"Well, what do you know that I don't?" said Bill, some- 
what nettled. 

"Nay, nay, chide not thy servant for the Sacred Scarabeus 
has bidden the humble Amenophis to deliver this message 
into the ear of Pharaoh and his people : 'The evil star hath 
set; no longer shall thine enemy prevail against thee. The 
Hibernian horde, the people of MulHganus, shall rise up 
against you out of the east land, but they shall not prevail. 
The spirit of death shall turn them back. At your very 
portals shall he check them, and never again shall they de- 
file the house of the Sacred Scarabeus.' " 



The Haunted House 209 

"Oh, stop this twiddle twaddle, 'Doc,' " cried BUI, Im- 
patiently. "After all, you know this Is a modern order of 
ancient engineers, so If you've got anything to say, out with 
It In a modern tongue, but drop this blamed mystery busi- 
ness, I say, drop it." 

Exciting News 

"All right, Bill, if you prefer it in United States. What 
I mean to say Is that there has been a murder in these 
woods." 

"A murder!" we both exclaimed. 

"Yes, a murder and a lynching." 

"A lynching?" 

"Yes, a lynching. Can't you even understand plain 
English ? I thought you fellows read the papers regularly." 

"We do," I answered. "When did it happen?" 

"The first of last August." 

"Oh, that accounts for it. We were camping then, and 
didn't see a paper for two weeks. How did it happen?" 

"Well, there was a colored man working on a farm over 
near Salem, who got mad at the farmer there and got into 
a fight with him. The farmer licked him with a horsewhip 
and fired him off his lands. Then what did he do but lie in 
wait for him right there in the woods and shoot him as he 
was riding to town. Old Farmer FIthlan was coming down 
the roadvand saw it all. He sounded the alarm, and pretty 
soon the whole town was up In arms scouring the country for 
the murderer. They couldn't find him anywhere. He had 
disappeared completely. Finally somebody thought of our 
lake house, so they dragged a boat over from Jenkln's Pond, 
and rowed over to it. He was In there sure enough, and 



2IO The Scientific American Boy at School 

opened fire on them. They backed off as fast as they could. 
Then they established a chain of guards all round so that he 
couldn't get away, and waited for him to be starved out. 
They waited a couple of days and then one night caught him 
trying to escape. Inside of an hour the whole countryside 
heard that he had been caught, and at two o'clock in the 
morning a mob stormed the jail, took the negro and lynched 
him right here where he had murdered the farmer." 

This was exciting news indeed, and we plied "Doc" with 
questions. He seemed to know all about the details of the 
case, even though he had only just arrived in town. 

"But what has that to do with all the tommy rot you were 
giving us a while ago?" demanded Bill. 

"Simply this," said "Doc." "The woods are haunted. 
Our house is haunted and the Mulligans won't dare to come 
around after dark." 

"Oh, that will soon wear off," replied Bill. 

"I'll see that it doesn't," said "Doc" significantly. "They 
went over to the house the morning after the lynching in the 
boat which the guards had used. Tore a gap in the stock- 
ade, too. Then the constable got after them for stealing the 
boat. But they haven't been around this way after dark. 
Somebody started a ghost scare, and people are afraid to 
come down this road late at night." 

"Doc" was pretty well informed for a fellow who had 
been in town for less than an hour. I was reminded of the 
time when he forestalled the Mulligans in their winter attack. 
In the excitement of the hour I had forgotten to question him 
about the source of his information. "Doc" always liked to 
be mysterious. 

"Look here, 'Doc' " I asked him, "how do you happen to 
know so much about the Mulligans and this murder?" 



The Haunted House 211 

"Question not the word of Amenophis, Arch Priest and 
Astrologer of the Sacred Scarabeus," he replied. 

"Oh, if you're going to put on the agony again, I give 
it up." 

When we got back to the Academy we found that "Jumbo" 
and "Sneezer" had arrived, so together we dragged out the 
"Lady Bug" and launched her in Lake Moeris. She leaked 
quite badly, and so we had to give up our visit to the lake 
house until the water would swell the boards and close up 
the seams. This was a big disappointment because, with 
Professor James's permission this time, we had planned a 
great reunion that night. It was just as well that the ban- 
quet was postponed, because Roy and "Jig" did not show up 
until the next morning. 

A Visit to the Lake House 

When the afternoon session of school came to a close we 
rushed down to the lake to find the boat still very leaky, but 
we bailed her out dry and ventured across. The stakes and 
buoys which marked the channel had been yanked out by the 
Mulligans, but Admiral Roy knew the course so well that we 
had no difficulty on that score. There was nothing much to 
indicate the fact that the house had been occupied by the 
negro except for a few bullet holes in the walls and one or 
two rifle shells on the floor. All other evidence had been 
cleaned out by the constable, so "Doc" informed us. He 
also pointed out the place where the Mulligans had smashed 
through our stockade, and we made use of this gap on our 
w^ay back. 

Preparing for the Feast 

We ferried our furniture over to the club house and made 



212 The Scientific American Boy at School 

ready for the evening feast. It was not to be a midnight 
banquet. Professor James had put his foot down on that, 
but it was just as exciting as any spread we had had In Pro- 
fessor Clark's day, because It was to be held in a haunted 
house and we had to pass after dark along the very woods 
where the murder had been committed. We left a lighted 
barn lantern on the porch directly In front of the gap in the 
stockade so that we would not have to negotiate the secret 
channel after dark. 

Old Farmer FIthlan chanced upon us while we were put- 
ting in our provisions and was astonished to find us prepar- 
ing for a banquet after dark In the haunted house. It was 
a brilliant move on Bill's part to invite the old man to our 
feast to tell us all about his part in the exciting events of the 
summer. He was not Inclined to accept at first for fear of 
the "rheumatiz," but the prospect of an evening with the 
boys was not displeasing to him and finally we persuaded him 
to come to the dam at eight o'clock that evening, where the 
boat would be waiting for him. He Insisted on doing his 
share toward the success of the banquet and took Roy up 
with him to the farm house, where "Mirandy," his daughter, 
stocked him with jam and cake. 

The Trip to the Haunted House 

There was something dellciously uncanny about our trip 
to the lake house that evening, particularly while we were 
passing through the haunted woods. All sorts of phantom 
monsters shaped themselves in the black shadows cast by the 
moon, and "Doc" did his best to work up our feelings to the 
highest pitch by pointing out the very spot where the tragedy 
occurred and the limb on which the murderer had been 
hanged. Now and then he would give a sigh or a groan 



The Haunted House 213 

which seemed to come from the depths of the woods and 
made the chills run up and down our backs. 

Our boat was moored to the dam because we had not re- 
paired the dock as yet and did not like to try the bramble 
path after dark anyway. We went over to the lake house in 
two loads. Bill and Roy remained behind to greet Farmer 
Fithian and bring him on the second trip. As the boat 
neared the house a hush fell over us. We spoke only in 
whispers. The mournful tremolo of a screech owl broke the 
stillness of the air. "Sneezer" was the first one to step out 
of the boat, and as he did so a bat flew past him so suddenly 
that he gave vent to his feelings with a yell of terror. That 
broke the tension and we all had a good laugh at "Sneezer." 
"Doc" was plainly delighted. He could not have planned it 
better had he tried. 

Mysterious Sounds 

"Jumbo" picked up a lantern and started for the door. 
As he pushed it open there was a low moan from within. 
Crash went the lantern on the floor, and the light went out. 

"Now you've done it," I said. 

"But did you hear that groan?" whispered "Jumbo." 

"Oh, that was one of 'Doc's' tricks," I repHed. But 
"Doc" was already well on his way back to the dam. 

"Here, give me a match, someone"; and I stooped to 
light the lantern. "There's nothing in there. I'll show 
you." 

Taking my courage between my teeth I strode boldly to 
the door and pushed it violently open. As I did, there was 
a fearful shriek from within that almost made my hair stand 
on end. I knew that "Doc" must be responsible for it in 
some way, so I marched right in and flashed the lantern 



214 



The Scientific American Boy at School 




i DOOB 



round, but the room was empty. The rest trooped In 
behind me peering around for the source of the noise. Back 
of the door we found a small siren whistle attached to a large 
bicycle pump. The end of the pump had been unsoldered 
and in its place a disk J (Fig. 208) of wood was fitted. A 
slot was cut through the disk and the mouth of the whistle 

B was jammed in it. 
The pump was tied 
loosely to the floor 
with the end of the 
cylinder bearing 
against a block C, 
and the handle was 
attached to the 
door, so that when 
the door was open- 
ed the pump piston 
would be forced in, causing the siren whistle to be sounded. 
Over the water came a hoarse laugh. "Doc" was enjoy- 
ing his joke. We vowed we'd punch him for playing .such 
a trick on his own club fellows. But there was plenty of 
time for our feelings to cool down before he returned with 
Farmer Fithian aboard. 

Farmer Fithian Enrolled with the Scarabs 

In the meantime we busied ourselves with preparations 
for the spread. Our table consisted of two planks laid on 
a pair of wooden horses. We elected Farmer Fithian an 
honorary member of our club and gave him the title of 
Harmhab, Chief of Tilled Lands. Bill presented him 
with the emblem of an ox and plow on a bone stud. "Speech ! 
Speech!" we all cried. Old Farmer Fithian arose. 



Fig. 208 — A siren whistle attached to a 
bicycle pump 



The Haunted House 



215 



"Boys and Fellow Sc'rabs," he began. "I made a speech 
onct thirty years ago and I got so flabbergasted that I vowed 
I'd never make another one. I hain't a-goin' to break my 
vow to-night." 

"Oh, go on!" we cried. "You're doing splendidly." 




Fig. 209— Harmhab, Chief of the Tilled Lands 

But Farmer Fithian was obdurate. "I'll converse with 
you," he said, "but I won't do no speechifyin'." 

"All right, converse with us!" responded Bill. "Tell us 
all about the murder." 

Farrner Fithian gave us such a graphic account of the 
tragedy that it made our flesh creep. Then he entertained 
us with stories of his boyhood days. He kept us in roars 
of laughter at the ridiculous scrapes he had been in. At 
the close of the banquet he consented to have his shadow- 



2i6 The Scientific American Boy at School 

graph drawn so that his likeness could be hung up in our 
rogues' gallery with the rest of us. 

One of the Requirements 

"There is one more requirement demanded of every hon- 
orary member when his name is entered in the roll of the 
Sacred Scarabeus," said Bill. "You must suggest some- 
thing for the Scarabs to do. Preferably something quite 
Egyptian." 

"If you fellers are lookin' for somethin' to do," said 
Farmer Fithian with a roguish look, "I've got plenty of 
work for ye over in the woodshed. I reckon the Egyptians 
had to chop kindlin' wood, didn't they?" 

"There you're wrong," said Bill. "They didn't have 
much wood in that country and the weather was so warm 
they didn't needs fires anyway, except for cooking." 

"Wal, I thought you'd have some excuse, if I offered 
you that kind of work. But how'll this do ? My daughter, 
Mirandy, she's got a flower garden out in our front yard 
that she sets a mighty store by. There used to be a fine old 
elm tree right in the middle of that there garden, but I had 
to cut it down this summer because it shaded the garden 
too much. Then, land! if she didn't make our man Joe 
leave the stump, and what in Sam Hill d'ye suppose she 
wanted it fur? A sun dial! She got Joe to plane off the 
stump and sandpaper it down, smooth and even. Then we 
asked her how she was going to lay out her sun dial, and 
blamed if she knew. She come to me, but, law! I didn't 
know nothing about such things, though I do recollect seein' 
one when I was a boy. And Mirandy, she's still lookin' 
round for someone to tell her how to make one. Now, it 
just come to me that the old Egyptians used to tell time 



The Haunted House 217 

with a sun dial and there ought to be somethin' about it in 
some of your books up to the Academy." 

"Bully for Farmer Fithian!" we cried. "You leave it 
to us. We will rig up the sun dial." 

The Ghost at the "Window 

We left the lake house after ten o'clock, declaring this 
to be the very best banquet we had ever held. "Doc," 
"Sneezer," "Jumbo" and I were in the second boatload. 
The moon was getting lower in the west and long shadows 
swept across Lake Moeris. "Sneezer," who was at the 
oars and therefore faced the lake house, suddenly pointed 
to one of the windows. "Look!" he said. "There's a 
ghost in there." We turned to see a white skull staring at 
us from the front window. Despite the darkness we could see 
it very plainly because it seemed to shine with a light of its 
own — an unsteady, ghostly, blue-white light. I faced about 
and seized "Doc" by the coat collar. 

"Now, tell us, you wily wizard, what game is this you're 
playing on us? You needn't think you can sting us twice 
in the same night." 

"Touch not the spotless collar of Amenophis, Arch 
Priest of the Sacred " 

"Oh, cut it!" I cried. "Here, boys, let's duck him," and 
we soused his head in over the stern of the boat. 

"Stop, stop!" he sputtered. "I'll 'fess up. That's just a 
board with some phosphorescent paint on it. Looks real, 
though, don't it?" 

"Real enough. Yes, but what do you mean by trying 
to fool your fellow Scarabs? Souse him again, boys." 

"Hold on there!" he protested. "I won't do it again. 
I just wanted to see how good those things were. I wanted 



2i8 The Scientific American Boy at School 

to see how they would work. The Mulligans are scared of 
the place now. If they see a ghost in the window once in a 
while they won't dare to come near the house, and if they 
did the siren would scare them when they tried to push the 
door open." 

Phosphorescent Paint 

I took a look at the phosphorescent skull the next day. 
The paint was just chalky white. "Doc" had gotten it from 
a paint store in the city. He had painted the background 
white too, so that the picture of the skull scarcely showed by 
daylight. He had to leave the board in the bright sun- 
light so that the luminous paint would absorb the sun's rays 
only to give them back again at night with a sort of phos- 
phorescent glow. 

"Doc" left the siren whistle on the door and the first 
twindy night left the door unlatched so that as the door 
swung back and forth it produced weird moans and wails. 
The ghostly sounds and the phosphorescent light in the win- 
dow attracted so many people that we were afraid some 
bolder one of the crowd would investigate the mystery. 
That no one did was probably because the "Lady Bug" was 
the only boat available and we had taken the precaution 
to conceal it in the bushes. Although we had repaired the 
breach in our stockade, we could not depend upon it as an 
impassable barrier after the Mulligans had gotten through 
it, even though they had accidentally struck the weakest pile. 
So we cautioned "Doc" not to leave the door unlatched 
again. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

SUN DIALS AND CLEPSYDRAS 

The morning after the banquet, Pharaoh wrote out an 
order directing that a sun dial of elaborate design be built 
with all possible haste by the Chief Craftsman and deco- 
rated and embellished by the Chief Artist and Sculptor under 
the direction of the Arch Priest and Astrologer. He sealed 
the document and placed it in the hands of Amenhotep, his 
Vizier, to give into the hand of the great Astrologer "Doc" 
Amenophis, Arch Priest of the Sacred Scarabeus. "Doc," 
as I have said, was fond of astronomical matters, but he 
knew little or nothing about sun dials, so he straightway 
betook himself to the library and studied up the subject in 
the encyclopedia. I saw him leave the library even more 
puzzled than when he had entered. 

It seemed to me that the problem was not a very difficult 
one. "Just set up a post in the center of the tree stump," 
I said, "and then every hour exactly on the minute by your 
watch, put a mark at the end of the shadow." 

"That's all right," answered "Doc," "only in winter your 
shadows will be longer than they are in summer. And 
then, too, the sun doesn't keep good time, so the cyclopedia 
says; some days it's fast and others it's slow." 

"Why don't you find out when the sun is on time, and 
then mark your dial?" 

"There may be something in that," admitted "Doc." 
"Guess I'd better ask Professor James about it." 

"Your scheme is not bad," said Professor James, "only 
you must not mark the end of the shadow, but the edge of 



220 The Scientific American Boy at School 

it. The post or gnomon, as it is called, that casts the 
shadow must be parallel with the axis of the earth so that 
the shadow will be the same all the year round. Now we 
are in latitude 39 degrees 30 minutes north, and that means 
that the post must point north and be tipped up at an angle 
of 39J/^ degrees because the angle of the gnomon must 
always be the same as the latitude. If we were at the 
equator the gnomon would have to lie horizontally, because 
the latitude is o degree, and south of the equator it would 
be tipped up toward the south. At the North and South 
Poles the gnomon would stand straight up and down. If 
you haven't a protractor to measure the angles you can 
point the gnomon toward the North Star and you won't 
be much more than a degree out. Now, let me see. There 
are four days in the year when the sun is on time — April 15, 
June 15, September i, and December 25. You are just too 
late for the September date and will have to wait until 
Christmas Day before you can lay out your dial." 

"But, I can't wait until Christmas," said "Doc." "I 
have orders from Pharaoh to build a dial at once. Isn't 
there some other day that we can mark the shadows?" 

"Why, yes, you can do it any day, if you know how fast 
or slow the sun is. Get everything done, but the marking, 
and then come to me when you are ready to lay out the dial 
and I will give you the correct solar time." 

The Square-Face Dial 

The Chief Craftsman and the Chief Artist and Sculptor 
were then summoned. Together with "Doc" they went 
over to Aunt Mirandy's and consulted with her about the 
type of sun dial she would like to have. A plain square face 
with Latin numerals and some quaint motto on it, was 



Sun Dials and Clepsydras 



221 



what she wanted. "Jumbo" made the face of the dial out 

of two solid oak 

boards lo inches 

wide and about 2 

feet long. They 

were secured edge 

to edge on a pair of 

oak cleats 2 mches X \ 

wide that projected f^ ^■ 

about 4 inches be- 
yond each side of 
the face. A tin- 




Fig. 210 — Dimensions of the piomon 




ya 30 



smith cut out the gnomon from a sheet of copper to the 

shape shown in Fig. 
210 after "Doc" 
had laid off the 
angle with a pro- 
tractor (see Fig. 
211), and scratched 

Fig. 211— Laid off the angle with a thg outline of the 

protractor 

gnomon with a 
needle. First one of the boards was fastened to the cleats 
with countersunk 
screws put in from the 
under side. Then the 
gnomon was nailed to 
the edge of the board, 
as shown in Fig. 212, 
and the other board 
was jammed against it 
and fastened in place 
with screws which ran through the cleats. "Jig" then drew 




Fig. 212 — The gnomon was nailed to the edge 
of the board 



222 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



a square border on the dial face and traced the legend "I 
count the bright hours only." 

The Sun as a Timekeeper 

Then we told Professor James we were all ready for the 
marking. He took down an almanac and found that on 
the next day, which was Saturday, October 2, the sun would 
reach the meridian at 1 1 149 13 6, which meant that it would 
be 10 minutes and 24 seconds fast at noon that day. 

"Now, let me see," said Professor James pointing to a 
map of New Jersey, "we are almost exactly on longitude 75 
degrees west. That makes it much easier for us, because 




Fig. 213 — The dial ready to be set in place 

Eastern time is reckoned from this meridian. When the 
sun is exactly south of us or, as an astronomer would put it, 
when the sun is on the 75th meridian, all the cities east of 
Pittsburg set their watches and clocks to 12 o'clock noon. 
An hour later when the sun is due south at the 90th meridian 
all clocks between Pittsburg and the center of Nebraska 
must point to 12 o'clock noon. It is noon in the Rocky 
Mountains when the sun is due south at longitude 105 west 
and along the Pacific coast when it arrives at the 120th 



Sun Dials and Clepsydras 223 

meridian. There is one hour's difference for every 15 de- 
grees or 4 minutes for each degree. Of course, as I told 
you before, the sun is a pretty poor timekeeper. It may be 
as much as a quarter of an hour fast or slow, and if we 
used the sun as our standard of time some of our days would 
be a trifle more and others a trifle less than 24 hours long; 
s,o we have to base our reckoning on an imaginary sun that 
comes to our meridian every 24 hours exactly. Sun dials 
give us the real sun's time, not clock time or the time of the 
imaginary sun, and so you must change your watch to solar 
time in order to set the sun dial. 

"Now according to our almanac the real sun will reach 
our meridian to-morrow at 11:49:36; that is, 10 minutes 
and 24 seconds before the imaginary sun is due, so all you 
have to do is to set your watch 10 minutes and 24 seconds 
fast, and then adjust and mark your dial by it. If you were 
in New York you would have to set your watch 14 minutes 
and 24 seconds fast, because New York Is i degree east of us 
and the real sun is due south there 4 minutes before it is here. 
If you were in Washington, D. C, which is at longitude 77 
west, you would have to take off 8 minutes, setting your 
watch only 2 minutes and 24 seconds fast." 

Marking the Dial Face 

"Doc" went to the watchmaker's to get the correct stand- 
ard time and set his watch exactly 10 minutes and 24 sec- 
onds fast. When it was just 12 :oo noon by his watch, the 
dial, which he had placed on the stump, was carefully 
adjusted so that the gnomon lay edgewise to the sun and the 
shadow just filled the narrow crack between the two boards. 
Every hour that afternoon we came back to the dial and drew 
a line along the shadow. Five o'clock was the last shadow 



224 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



we caught, but we did not need to depend upon the sun for 
the six o'clock line because we knew that at this time of the 
day the shadow would be at right angles to the gnomon. 
The morning hours were then marked off to correspond with 
the afternoon hours; that is, the angle between XI and XII 
was the same as that between XII and I, and X was as far 
to the left of XII as II to the right, and so on. VII and 




Fig. 214— The dial made quite an artistic appearance 

VIII P. M. were found by prolonging the lines VII and 
VIII A. M., and IIII and V A. M. by prolonging IIII and 
V P. M. These marks would only be of use during the long 
summer days. 

The position of the dial was carefully traced on the stump, 
after which it was taken off and delivered to "J»g" Sonches 
to be carved and embellished. With a penknife and chisel 
he carved the border, shadow lines, numerals and motto in 



Sun Dials and Clepsydras 



225 



the wood, painting the depressions black, after which the 
whole dial was given a coat of spar varnish to protect it 
from the weather. Finally the dial was set back on the 
stump in the same position as it had been before and made 
fast by nails driven through the cleats. At the furniture 
store "Doc" found some tacks with fancy copper heads 
which he used to cover up the nails on the cleats. The dial 
made quite an artistic appearance and Aunt Mirandy and 
her father were highly pleased. 

The Sun Dial on the Lawn 

At Professor James's request we rigged up a large sun 
dial on the front lawn of 
the Academy. In this 
case the gnomon was a 
strip of wood supported 
on a slant so that it 
pointed toward the 
North Star. We drove 
a post in the ground 
about 3 feet high and 
sawed a slot in it running 
due north and south as 
nearly as possible. Then 
we took a strip of wood about 6 feet long and 3 inches wide 
and drove two nails in the edge. (See Fig. 215.) 

Finding the North Star 

On the first favorable night "Doc" and I went out to 
train the gnomon at the North Star. "Doc" showed me 
how to find the star by using the two stars at the edge of the 
Great Dipper as pointers and following the path they 




Fig:. 215 — It pointed toward the north star 



226 



The ScicntiHc American Boy at School 



point out until we came to a moderately bright star which 
marks the North Pole of the heavens. (See Fig. 216.) At 
that time of the year the Dipper is below the Pole Star in 
the early evening. Had our observations been made in 
May the pointers would have been above the Pole Star. 
"Doc" now rested the gnomon in the slot of the post with 

one end on the ground 
and sighted across the 
two nails at the star, 
moving the foot of the 
gnomon this way or that 
along the ground until 
the star and the two nail 
heads were directly in 
line. Then a stake was 
driven into the ground 
and the bottom of the 
gnomon was nailed fast 
to it. 

The next day with a 
cord attached to the foot 
of the gnomon "Doc" 
traced a lo-foot circle on 
the lawn, driving stakes into the ground every 2 feet along 
the circle. Two or three narrow strips of wood were bent 
around the stakes and nailed to them, making a continuous 
wooden arc slightly more than half the circumference of the 
circle. This arc was painted white as well as the gnomon. 
Then we consulted the almanac to find out how fast the sun 
would be the next day at noon. It proved to be 13 minutes 
and 46 seconds, and "Doc" set his watch accordingly. 
The next noon, just at 12:00 o'clock by "Doc's" watch, 




Fig. 216— The "pointers" in the 
" Great Dipper" 



Sun Dials and Clepsydras 



227 



we found that the gnomon was edgewise to the sun and cast 
a very narrow shadow across the wooden ring. A line was 
traced on each side of this shadow. Then each hour that 
afternoon we marked the circle, drawing the line along the 
outside edge of the shadow or that part cast by the upper 
edge of the gnomon. A string was tacked midway between 
the two lines of the noon mark and as each hour was marked 
off we would measure its distance from twelve o'clock with 





Fig. 217— Strips of wood bent 
around the stakes 



Fig. 218 — A stone marked each 
hour line 



the string and then lay off the same distance at the left for 
the corresponding morning hours. The hours after VI 
P. M. and before VI A. M. were found in the same way as 
on Aunt Mirandy's dial. VI o'clock then was just midway 
between V and VII both in the morning and in the evening. 
A good-sized stone marked each hour line. It was buried 
in the ground to the level of the wooden ring, then it was 
painted white and the hour it represented was put on in 
black. 



To NORTH STAR. 



228 The Scientific American Boy at School 

A Vertical Dial 

"Doc" made one more sun dial the following spring and 
marked the hours on the 15th day of April when the sun was 
on time. He did not have to bother with the almanac in 
marking the dial, but saw to it that his watch was right with 
the jeweler's chronometer. That was the beauty of working 
on the 75th meridian. Had he been working in New York 

he would still have had 
to set his watch 4 min- 
utes fast. 

This dial differed 
from the others in the 
fact that the face was 
vertical Instead of hori- 
zontal. We nailed it to 
the south side of the lake 
house. The gnomon was 
a piece of galvanized iron 
cut so that when It was 
set in place the upper 
edge would point toward 
the North Star. (See 
Fig. 219.) The side of 
the house was not due south, and so when the hour of noon 
came "Doc" had to bend the gnomon to the left until it was 
just edgewise to the sun. The afternoon hours were marked 
off that day, but we could not lay off the morning hours from 
them as we had done before because the dial face was not 
at right angles to the plane of the gnomon. So "Doc" had 
to get up before sunrise and mark the shadows from five 
o'clock on. 




Fig. 219 — The vertical sun dial 



Sim Dials and Clepsydras 



229 




A Simple "Water Clock 
The sun dial was not the only timepiece we had at our 
club house. "Doc" in his study of ancient devices for deter- 
mining the hours of the day had come across the descrip- 
tion of a clepsydra, or water clock. It 
was a very simple thing to make — 
merely a pail with a tiny hole in the 
bottom through which the water in the 
pail escaped drop by drop. There was a 
cover J ( Fig. 220) , over the top of the 
pail and a float B on the water inside. 
A rod C fastened to the float passed 
through a hole in the cover board, and 
as the water fell the rod sank slowly 
through the board. The hours were 
marked on this rod reading upward, 
and we could tell what time it was by 
noting the lowest mark that sliowed 
above the cover board. The hour marks at the bottom 
of the rod were not so close to each other as were those at 
the top, because the water dripped out more rapidly when 
the pail was full than when it was nearly empty. 

A Siphon Clepsydra 
Bill designed a much more elaborate clepsydra in which 
the float fell at a constant rate no matter how low the 
water was. Then, too, the hours were marked on a dial 
and the float was arranged to move clock hands over the 
dial face. Instead of a pail he used a large cider barrel. 
No hole was punched in the bottom of the barrel because 
the water was drawn off over the top instead. A large 
block of wood was used for the float. A stick J was nailed 



Fig. 220 — As the water 
fell the rod sank 



230 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



to this float and it was connected to another stick B at the 
top by a broad crosspiece C. The upper corners of the cross- 
piece were cut round, as shown in Fig. 221. A small rub- 
ber tube D ran from the float up over the crosspiece and 
down the other stick. It was held in place by means of 
staples driven just tightly enough to hold the tube without 
pinching it. The float was set in the water with the leg B 

projecting outside of 
the barrel. The inner 
end of the rubber tube 
dipped into the water 
and the outer end 
hung about an inch be- 
low the level of the 
water in the barrel. 
Putting his mouth to 
the outer end of tube 
Bill sucked the tube 
full of water, and then 
it began to flow out 
quite rapidly. The rate 
iffiA» of flow depended on 
the difference in height 
between the water sur- 
face inside the barrel 
and the outer end of 
the tube. This differ- 
ence in level is known 




Fig. 221 — The water was drawn over the top 



as the "head" (see Fig. 221), and it remained the same 
whether the barrel was full or nearly empty, because the 
siphon fell with the float, and consequently the rate of flow 
did not vary. By clipping off the oUter end oi the tube the 



6mw Uials and Clepsydras 



231 



head was reduced and the flow was made less rapid. A 
cord and a piece of tape were attached to the crosspiece C 
and ran up to the dial mechanism, where the cord passed 
over a V-grooved pulley E. A small weight was fastened 
to the other end of the cord to keep it taut. 

The Dial Mechanism 
The clepsydra was set up on the porch. Two brackets F 
(Fig. 223) were nailed to the wall and they supported the 
dial face. Across the top of the bracket two strips of wood 




Fig. 222— The dial mech- 
anism with the dial face 
removed 




Fig. 223 — Details behind the large 
pulley E 



G and H were fastened. The pulley E, 9 inches in diameter, 
was wedged tightly onto a piece of brass tubing / which was 
journaled at one end in the cross strip H, while the other end 
projected through the center of the dial board or clock face. 



232 The Scientific American Boy at School 

An hour hand / carved out of cigar box wood was secured to 
the projecting end of the tube. Bill bought the tube at a 
hardware store and selected a size large enough for a pencil 
to pass freely through it. This pencil was now put through 
the tube and through a hole in the cross strip G. A minute 
hand cut out of cardboard was fastened to the outer end of 
the pencil by means of a tack, and a ring M was driven 
onto the opposite end of the pencil to prevent it from 
slipping out of place. A spool A'^, between the strips G 
and H, was wrapped with sticky tire tape until it was just 
one-twelfth of the diameter of the larger pulley, that is, ^ 
of an inch. A spool O (Fig. 223) was journaled on a screw 
driven into a block on the left-hand bracket. A piece of 
tape attached to the crosspiece ran over this spool and 
thence under another spool P and over the pulley A^. A 
small sinker tied to the end of the tape served to take up the 
slack. 

Testing the Mechanism 

The dial face was painted with the usual Roman numer- 
als to indicate the hours and minutes. Then Bill tested the 
mechanism by letting the float fall slowly to see whether 
the minute hand would turn twelve times while the hour 
hand turned once. Something was wrong. The hour 
hand went too fast. Apparently the small pulley was a lit- 
tle too large. However, the matter was easily remedied by 
filling the bottom of the V-groove in the larger pulley with 
cord until it was just the right diameter. 

The Siphon Regulator 

A regulator was fastened on the outside leg of the siphon. 
It consisted of a stick of wood (Fig. 224) hinged to the leg 
B of the siphon by means of a bit of leather. The stick was 



Sun Dials and Clepsydras 



I 



'2-2>^ 



used to pinch the end of the rubber tube D and thus control 

the flow of water through the siphon. A screw X was 

threaded through the end of the 

stick and into the siphon frame, 

and by feeding this screw in or out 

the rate of flow could be regulated 

to a nicety. A piece of zinc was 

placed between the tube and the 

framework to prevent the water 

from soaking into the wood and 





Fig. 224— The 
siphon regu- 
lator 



Fig. 225 — The siphon 
clepsydra 



swelling it so as to pinch the tube too much. On the floor, 
under the tube, was placed a wooden trough to catch the 
drip and carry it off the porch into the lake. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

THE FISH-TAIL PROPELLER 

There was one thing Bill never liked about the pedal- 
paddle-boat, and that was the paddle wheels. He wanted 
something more modern. If our club was to be truly up to 
date the "Lady Bug" would have to be driven with a pro- 
peller Instead of paddle wheels, but he couldn't for the life 
of him figure out how the thing was to be rigged up so that 
a bicycle would drive It, and then, too, the propeller was a 
rather difficult thing to make. He pondered over the sub- 
ject a long time and finally called In council his Grand Vizier, 
the Chief Admiral, and the Chief Engineer. We discussed 
the subject, thoroughly examining it from every point of 
view, and finally gave it up as Impracticable. But Bill was 
not satisfied, I was sure of that. 

One afternoon we were up in Silver Lake taking fish pic- 
tures. Our roll of films was used up and Bill was Idly peer- 
ing through the camera box as we drifted with the wind. He 
staid there an uncommonly long time and finally I called to 
him. 

"What's got you. Bill? Is It a mermaid this time?" 

He raised himself up slowly and stared rather abstract- 
edly at me. 

"Well, what Is it?" I asked. 

"Did you ever hear of a fish with paddle wheels?" he 
asked. 

"Paddle wheels!" I exclaimed. 

"Did you ever hear of a fish with a propeller?" he con- 
tinued. 



The Fish-Tail Propeller 235 

"Propeller? Why, yes, the fish's tail is a sort of propeller, 
isn't it?" 

"It doesn't go around, does it? You never saw anything 
on a fish that goes around like the propeller of an ocean 
liner, and yet a porpoise can swim circles around the fastest 
boat afloat. I have just been watching the minnows down 
here. They simply wave their tails from side to side and 
glide along as easily as you please. Now why can't we rig 
up a sort of fish tail on our boat?" 

"There's nothing new in that," I said. "Just a case of 
sculling that any boatman knows how to do." 

"But their tails aren't stiff like an oar. Come and look 
at them. They bend back and forth just like a piece of 
paper. Now, if we had a very thin " 

"Would a tin blade do?" I asked. 

"No good," he said; "it would break off in no time. We 
ought to have a blade of spring steel." 

"Well, we can't get that. So you might as well forget it." 

"Forget it nothing!" said Bill. "This is a great dis- 
covery, and I am going to get it patented. Some day all the 
ocean liners will have fish-tails on them and run across to 
Europe faster than an express train." 

"Yes," I answered; "millions in it; millions in it. Bill, 
you're a real inventor. Dreaming of the golden future 
before you've even built a model of your propeller. I'd 
advise you to keep quiet about it and rig up a tail on the 
*Lady Bug.' Save your shouting until you see whether the 
thing works." 

A Wooden Fish-Tail 

Bill built his model, but he coul4,not get a piece of spring 
steel and so had to content himself with a wooden fish-tail 



236 The Scientific American Boy at School 

after all that did not flex as he wished it to, but was jointed 
so that it had some of the fish-tail motion. Fearing that the 
idea might not work out well he did not build it on the "Lady 
Bug," because he did not want to mar the boat unnecessarily, 
and, furthermore, he did not care to disclose his invention 
to the public until it was fully protected by a patent. So he 
rigged it up on an old flat-bottom scow that Farmer Fithian 
loaned him for the purpose. 

Construction of the Fish-Tail 

First of all he got a piece of ^-inch white wood, 22 inches 
long by 12 inches wide. This was the blade of the tail. A 
jog B was cut in the front upper corner of the blade A (Fig. 

226), and then he got a 
tinsmith to cut him two 
pieces of galvanized sheet 
iron to form the hinges C 

with which the blade was to 

=^ T-i _^._ - \ 'l J*-^^^; be attached to the handle D 

of the rig. For the handle 
of the fish-tail he took a 
stick I^ inches thick, 3 inches wide and about 4 feet long. 
At the point where the stick was attached to the tail he left 
it full width, but tapered it at the other end to form a neat 
round handle. (See Fig. 227.) Bill got a blacksmith to 
make a brace like that shown at E (Fig. 228), out of a piece 
of carriage iron 20 inches long. This was fastened to the 
stick D with a pair of bolts, and then a hole was drilled in the 
handle directly above the hole in the lower end of the brace. 
A ^-inch chair bolt F about 12 inches long was now pro- 
cured, and it was passed through the brace and the hole in 
the handle. There were two nuts on the chair bolt, one of 



:j= A 



._„:.. -22 



—-> 



Fig. 226 — The blade of the tail 



The Fish-Tail Propeller 



237 



which was screwed against the under side of the handle 
after the other had been screwed down against the top. 
The tail was now placed with the rear edge against the 
chair bolt, and the two pieces of galvanized iron were bent 




Fig. 227 — Plan view of the fish-tail rig 

over the chair bolt and fastened to the board with screws 
that passed through holes punched through the galvanized 
iron. At the hardware store Bill got a couple of large 
angle braces G which he took to the blacksmith and had 
him bend them to a wider angle, so that when they were 





Fig. 228— How the blade 
was hinged 



Fig. 229— The swivel block 



fastened to the side of the stick D they would form an 
angle of about 45 degrees as shown in Fig. 227. The 
braces were tipped downward as indicated in the side view 
Fig. 228 and were fastened with a couple of bolts that ran 



238 The Scientific American Boy at School 

right through the wood from one side to the other. The 
handle was fastened to the rear of the scow with a swivel 
joint. The swivel joint was made of oak of the form 
shown in Fig. 229. The handle was fitted in the slot H 
and pivoted on a bolt, while the shank / passed through 
a hole in the rear of the screw and was held in place by a peg 
driven through the hole K. With this form of joint the 
handle could be swung up and down as well as sideways. 

Fish-Tail Propulsion 

Bill and I tried the fish-tail rig by ourselves first. Bill 
sat at the rear of the scow and swung the handle back and 
forth, making the tail move snake fashion, striking first 
against one of the braces, G, and then against the other. 
The boat moved along at a pretty good clip and Bill was 
delighted. 

"How about it, Jim?" he said. "You can tell your grand- 
children how you rode in the first and original fish-tail boat. 
I'm going to see Professor James about it and get out my 
patent right away." 

"It is quite a success," I admitted, "but look at the way it 
makes the boat zig-zag. They would never stand for any- 
thing like that on an ocean liner." 

"Oh, the larger the boat the more steady it would be." 

"Maybe so," I responded, "but I don't see why it should 
zig-zag at all. The fishes manage to swim along In a straight 
line without wavering the least bit. I don't believe you have 
quite struck it yet." 

Bill was indignant. "The invention's all right," he said. 
"There's nothing the matter with that. If I could only get 
a spring steel tail on the boat instead of this wooden affair 
you'd find that she'd keep to a straight line all right enough." 



The Fish-Tail Propeller 239 

"I don't believe it," I responded. "What you need is a 
keel. Fishes have keels, haven't they? They have fins 
sticking out top and bottom to keep them in a straight line." 

"Well, we can put a keel on the scow easy enough." 

"No, you don't, either. Farmer Fithian would not stand 
for it. He can't get up to his cove if the boat draws too 
much water." 

"Oh, what does he care about the old scow anyway?" 

"I saw him in it only last week." 

"Well, how about a centerboard then? He couldn't kick 
at that." 

"Maybe not. Let's see." 

We propelled the boat around to his cove on Jenkin's 
Lake and went up to the Fithian farmhouse. The old 
farmer was quite taken with Bill's invention when we gave 
him a ride in the boat and he was perfectly willing to have 
us rig up a centerboard in the scow. 

The Centerboard 
The boat was turned bottom upward and two i-inch holes 
were drilled through the center of the keel about 30 inches 
apart. With a compass saw we connected the two holes, 



iiwww 



'^^\\^\\ 




Fig. 230 — The slot in the bottom of the scow 

making a slot an inch wide. The centerboard box was built 
around the slot, as shown in Fig. 231, up to a level with the 
gunwales of the boat. For the centerboard we got a piece 



240 The Scientific American Boy at School 

of yellow pine •;4 inch thick and a foot wide. One end of 
the board was cut off on a slant, as indicated at L (Fig. 
232), so that it would clear the end of the box when it was 
lowered. The forward end of the board was hinged to the 




V- 



Fig. 231 — ^The centerboard box was built Fig. 232 — ^The centerboard 

around the slot 

box close to the bottom by means of a bolt, M. The center- 
board was raised by means of a cord attached to the aft end 
and was held by a peg, A^, which was slipped through a hole 
at the top and rested across the centerboard box. 

Steering with the Fish-Tail 

The centerboard was a decided success. It kept the boat 
on a straight course. No rudder was used for the scow 
because the steering was all done with the fish-tail. For 
instance, if Bill wanted to go to the left, he would make 
several quick strokes of the tail in that direction, or else he 
would swing the handle end of the stick, /), around in a 
circle, making the blade sink deeper in the water while it was 
moving toward the left. If he wished to turn toward the 
right he would reverse the direction of the circle. 

Bill never got his patent. He didn't have the cash. He 
asked his Uncle Ed for help, but Uncle Ed was then in 
Rhodesia, and It took ever so long to get an answer from 
him. Then Uncle Ed wanted to see the affair before he In- 



The Fish-Tail Propeller 241 

vested any money in it, all of which delay considerably 
dampened Bill's enthusiasm, and in time he neglected his 
wonderful fish-tail invention. But if any of my readers 
should chance to visit the old Academy town he will see 
many a boat fitted with this odd type of propeller, copied 
after Bill's invention. 



CHAPTER XX. 
KITE PHOTOGRAPHY 

So FAR we have mentioned only Professor James, Prin- 
cipal of the Academy, and the seven boys of our club. But 
let no one imagine that we were the whole school and Pro- 
fessor James the whole faculty. There were about thirty 
boarders altogether and about twice that number of day 
scholars who came from town and the surrounding farms. 
There were three teachers besides our Principal, but only one 
of them was ever admitted into our club and that was Pro- 
fessor Harvey. We made him an honorary member in 
reward for a valuable suggestion. 

Bird's Eye Photography 

I was showing him some of our bird pictures one day and 
he admired them very much. 

"I wonder how we must look to the birds?" he said sud- 
denly. "Why can't you take some bird's eye photographs? 
There's an idea for you. Send up your camera with a 
balloon or a kite and then take pictures from the sky of the 
world below. It will give you an Idea of the flatness of the 
earth, the little squat houses and the self-important little 
people that strut about, as seen from the viewpoint of the 
bird's domain." 

"Bully!" I said. "We'll do that, Professor Harvey, and 
if it works out all right we'll elect you an honorary member 
of our club." 

The suggestion was put before the club at the very first 
opportunity. 



Kite Photography 243 

"The scheme's all right," said Bill. "But how in the 
world are we going to press the button at the right time ?" 

"Why, touch it off with electricity," I suggested. 

"That sounds easy enough, but we can't send the kite up 
more than a hundred feet with the wire we have and that's 
little better than taking a picture from a treetop. We ought 
to send the camera up five times as high to get a picture 
worth while. That would take a thousand feet of wire, 
which is a pretty heavy load for the kite to lift, and we'd 
have to buy some more batteries; and then, besides, our 
electric shutter isn't rigged so we can hold the camera upside 
down." 

"Tie a string to the shutter," put in "Jumbo," "and pull it 
when you get ready." 

"Yes; and have it get tangled up with the kite string. 
That won't do ; but there ought to be lots of ways of doing it. 
I tell you what, let's all of us think it over until to-morrow 
afternoon, and then we'll see who has the best idea." 

Suggestions for Springing the Shutter 

It was a varied collection of ideas that were brought 
around that afternoon, and they spoke well for the resource- 
fulness of the Scarabs. Bill's plan was to spring the shutter 
at the right moment with an alarm clock attached to the 
camera. "Sneezer" proposed that the shutter arm be set 
off by a rubber band or a spring which could be held in check 
until we could get the kite well up in the air by a leaky toy 
balloon or one of those bladders that are sold by street 
fakirs. "Doc's" idea was somewhat along the same line, 
except that he suggested using a piece of ice instead, and 
he put forth a very good argument in favor of his scheme. 
The block of ice would be heavier than the bladder, to be 



244 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



sure, but it would be getting lighter and lighter all the time, 
as it melted, and so help the kite to rise, and, finally, it 
would be lighter even than the bladder, because it would be 
entirely melted away. Bill's scheme was more mechanical, 
of course, and we could set the alarm to spring the shutter 
at any desired time, but it meant just so much more dead- 
weight to be carried by the kite. The arguments for and 
against each scheme grew louder and louder and threatened 
to end in a fight. Finally, Bill settled the matter by announc- 
ing that we would try out each scheme and see how it worked. 

The Bladder Trigger 

"Sneezer's" scheme was like this: A bent lever was 
whittled out of a stick of wood to the form shown at A 
(Fig. 233). A plate, B, of cigar box wood was nailed to 




Fig. 



233 — When the air leaked out 
the shutter was sprung 



Fig. 234 — Taking a photograph by 
means of the bladder trigger 



the longer arm of the lever and rested on the bladder, C. 
The ends of the lever projected beyond the overhang of the 
camera and a spring, D, pulling on the long arm of the lever 
pressed the plate, B, down on the bladder. A string con- 



Kite Photography 



245 



nected the short arm of the lever with the shutter arm, E. 
When the bladder was Inflated it raised the longer arm of 
the lever to the position shown by full lines in Fig. 233 ; but 
there was a tiny opening in the bladder through which the 
air escaped, eventually permitting the spring to pull the arm 
to the dotted position and spring the shutter. 

The Ice Trigger 

"Sneezer's" scheme worked fairly well, except that we 
could not get the bladder to leak slowly enough. In that 
respect, "Doc's" scheme 
was better. He used 
identically the same me- 
chanism, except that the 
plate, B, was dispensed 
with. A groove was 
scraped in the Ice, F (Fig. 
235), for the lever A to 
rest in, and this kept the 
ice from slipping off, but 
as a further precaution, 
a board was fastened to 
the camera with nail 
points sticking up into 
the ice. It took quite a while for the lever to cut Its way 
through the Ice and spring the shutter, which gave us ample 
time to fly the kite to a good height. 

The Alarm Clock Trigger 

Bill took an inventory of the alarm clocks of the school 
and found one that weighed much less than the average. 
For this timepiece he traded his own clock and an old pen- 




Fig. 235- 



-The lever cutting through a 
block of ice 



246 



The Scientific American Boy at ScJiool 



knife to boot. The clock was fastened on Its side with the 
keys at the back overhanging the edge of the camera, just 
above the shutter arm. The shutter arm was set so that 
it would have to be pulled up to make the exposure. A 
string ran from the arm to the winding key of the alarm. 
When the alarm was wound up, the string was slack, but 
when it went off the key turned and wound up the string, 
springing the shutter. 

The principal difficulty of this scheme was the impossi- 
bility of telling the pre- 
cise moment when the 
alarm would go off. 
When we first used it we 
set it to go off within fif- 
teen minutes. After it 
had been in the air twenty 
minutes we pulled it down 
and had nearly brought 
it to the ground when off 
went the alarm. The 
photograph when devel- 
oped showed a plan view 
of Bill hauling in the 
string with hands about twice as big as his head, because 
they were in the immediate foreground. Next time we left 
the kite up in the air a good half hour and got a fair picture, 
but the uncertainty of the thing was annoying. 

"Couldn't you rig up some sort of a signal," I suggested, 
"so that we can tell when the thing goes off?" 

The Key Rin^ Signal 
"Sure," said "Sneezer." "We could fasten a ring up there 




Fig. 236 — Wound up the string springing 
the shutter 



Kite Photography 



247 



and let It slide down the kite string when the alarm breaks 
the thread that holds It up there." He pulled his key ring 
out of his pocket and slipped it onto the kite string. Then 
he tied the ring {K^ Fig. 237), to the alarm key with a 
thread which he unraveled from his coat lining. When the 
alarm went off the thread was wound up by the key, but a 
large pin stuck through the kite string held back the ring, 
and the thread had to 
break, letting the ring 
slide down the kite string. 
It seemed like a fine 
scheme, but the very first 
time we tried it, it failed 
to work. We let the kite 
stay up in the air forty 
minutes, though the 
alarm was set to go off in 
twenty minutes. And yet 
no message came down 
the string to tell us that the picture had been taken. Finally, 
we got tired and pulled down the kite. The shutter was 
sprung and the ring had started down, but the thread at- 
tached to it had become tangled with the kite string. The 
next time we tied the thread with a slip knot in such a way 
that a good pull would undo the knot and release the ring. 
This worked perfectly. 

Telephone Kite Signal 

Bill had another scheme, but whether it was a good one 
or not we never found out, because the first time we tried it 
our kite string gave way and the kite sailed off with my 
precious camera. When we recovered them there was not 




Fig. 237 — Arrangement of the key 

ring signal 



248 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



much left of either and our photographing experiments came 
to an abrupt end. The scheme was to use a telephone to 
determine when the alarm went off. The telephone was one 
of the mechanical kind, consisting of two paper or tin boxes, 
with a string stretched tightly between them. The bell of 
the alarm clock had been taken off in our previous experi- 
ments so as to reduce the 
weight as much as possible, 
but now Bill put it on again 
and fastened a small tin can, 
L, in front of it, with open side 
turned toward the bell. A hole 





Fig. 238 — The telephone transmitter 
at the kite 



Fig. 239— Held the can to 
his ear 



was punched in the bottom of the can and a string knotted on 
the inside of the can passed through the hole and was pulled 
taut and tied to the kite string. Another tin can with a string 
knotted to the bottom of it was made ready for the telephone 
receiver at the lower end of the kite string. When the kite 
had risen to about the position we desired, Bill tied the 
receiver to the string, and then pulling the cord as taut as 



Kite Photography 249 

possible, held the can to his ear, waiting to hear the alarm 
go off. Bill didn't intend to take the whole pull of the kite, 
but "Jumbo," who was holding the kite string, didn't under- 
stand this and let go. A tug of the kite yanked the can out of 
Bill's hand. I made a leap for the string that was being 
trailed along the ground and stepped on it, but the check was 
too sudden. The string parted and the kite was free. I felt 
pretty badly over the loss of my camera, but the club chipped 
in and bought me a new one, and then refused to use it for 
any more kite experiments, which was pretty decent of them 
I thought. 

The kite we used to support the camera was a Malay 
tailless kite, just like the one Bill and I built the year before.* 
It was 5 feet high and in a good wind gave a very powerful 
pull on the kite string. The camera was fastened just below 
the crosstick of the kite. An angle piece, H (Figs. 235 and 
^3^)^ was lashed to the frame of the kite. The tripod 
screw, I, was threaded through the angle piece into the socket 
in the camera. By this arrangement the camera could be 
pointed to one side or the other. When the kite was first 
tried, a block of wood was substituted for the camera, so as 
to find the proper point of attachment. 



*Directions for making this kite are given in the Scientific American Boy, page 

231. 



CHAPTER XXL 
WATER KITES AND CURRENT SAILING 

Bill had a very logical head. Whenever his mind was 
directed toward any particular line of thought he traced it 
out to the very end and in that way quite often obtained 
some rather surprising discoveries. It was only natural that 
when we embarked on our kite photographing experiments 
he should investigate the principles of kite flying. When 
he had thoroughly mastered these he began to look for other 
applications of the same principles. If this thing could be 
done in the air why could it not be done in the water? He 
didn't say anything about it to the rest of us, but I knew 
from his preoccupied manner that there was something on 
his mind, and so I was on the lookout for developments. One 
day I caught him rigging up an odd-looking tin affair. 

"What do you call that?" I asked. 

"That? Why, that's a kite," he answered. 

"A kite?" I said. "Why, who ever heard of a tin kite?" 

"I can sail it, though. Just tried it, and it worked fine." 

"Let's see you do it again." 

"Can't now. The tide isn't right." 

"The tide?" I exclaimed. 

"Yes, it isn't running strong enough." 

"Look here, Bill. Is that a kite you have, or a boat?" 

"A little of both, Jim," he answered. "You might call it 
a 'water kite.' It sails through the water just like a kite 
through the air. You stand on the bank and hold the string 
and the kite sails over to the other side of the creek. The 
current carries It over just like the wind carries a kite up in 



Water Kites and Current Sailing 



251 



the air. We'll go down to-morrow, when the tide is right, 
and I'll show you." 

Bill's kite was merely a block of wood with a broad piece 
of tin fastened to it like a deep keel. The wooden block, 
which was in two pieces, A and B (Fig. 240), nailed to 
opposite sides of the tin, served merely as a float for the tin 
keel. A cord ran with plenty of slack from the front to the 
rear of the kite and was fastened to staples, D, driven in the 
ends of the block. This cord corresponded to the "belly 
band" of an ordinary kite, and the kite string was attached 
to it at such a point that the bow or the forward end of the 




B£LLY BAND 
Fig. 240 — The water kite 



Fig. 241 — The hook was a 
clothespin cut down 



kite would point away from the one who was sailing it. The 
string was not tied to the "belly band," but was fastened to 
a wooden hook, shaped as shown in Fig. 241, which could 
be slipped on to the band at any desired point. This hook 
was merely a clothespin cut down. 

Kite Sailing in the Water 

The next day we all went down to the creek, which ran 
through part of the town and wandered aimlessly back and 
forth through the salt meadows until it finally reached Dela- 
ware Bay. The mouth of the creek was but ten miles from 
town, as the bird flies, but by boat the trip was twenty-two 



252 



The Scientific American Boy at School 




Fig. 242 — The forward end pointed 
out-stream 



miles. Bill had chosen a spot out of town where the creek 
doubled back within half a mile of the Academy grounds. We 
were just a little late. The tide was not running in as rapidly 
as Bill would have liked, but he adjusted the kite string to 
the "belly band" so that 
the forward end of the 
water kite pointed out- 
stream at quite a wide 
angle. Then he tossed 
the kite out into the cur- 
rent, and as soon as the 
kite string began to tight- 
en, the water kite com- 
menced moving away from us for the other shore. Bill 
played with it just as he would with an aerial kite, now pull- 
ing in the string and now paying out, and the thing responded 
perfectly. He succeeded in getting it almost to the opposite 
shore, but there was not enough current near the shore to 
carry it all the way over, and the drift of the kite string in 

the stream dragged 
it back. The tide 
was so near flood 
that soon there was 
scarcely any current 
worth mentioning, 
and the only way 
that Bill could sail 
his water kite was 
to run up and down 
the bank with it as he would with an aerial kite in a calm. 

That set me to thinking. After all, hadn't we done about 
the same thing with the "Lady Bug" when towing her be- 




Fig. 243 — Towing a boat 



Water Kites and Current Sailing 



253 



tween the lock and the dam? We didn't tie the tow line to 
the stem, but a little ways back, so that the bow would point 
out-stream, and the boat would not be dragged toward the 
shore when we towed it. Had we fastened the tow line to 
the stern the boat would have turned squarely across the 
stream. (See Fig. 244.) What Bill did with the "belly 
band" was to tie the tow line to the stern so as to swing the 
bow out and then tie it to the bow as well, to keep It from 
swinging out too far. I mentioned this to Bill. 




Fig. 244 — Had we fastened the line to the stem 



"I believe you're right," he admitted. "It must be the 
same thing, because the stream keeps the boat out from the 
shore, even when there is no one at the tiller. If we fastened 
the tow line a little further back I believe the boat would sail 
right across the stream to the other side when we towed." 

We tried the scheme at the first opportunity, but it worked 
only moderately well. 

"We ought to have a deeper keel," said Roy, "for the 
water to press against." 



254 T^^ ScientiHc American Boy at School 

"But," I protested, "how are we going to drag the boat 
to the dam if there is a deep keel in the way?" 

A Removable Keel 

But Roy's plan was to put a removable keel on the boat. 
It was made out of a strip, E (Fig. 245), of wood 6 inches 
wide and an inch thick. The forward end was tapered, as 
shown, and a heavy wire link, F, was fastened to it, whereby 
it could be hooked over a notch, G, in the stempiece. Two 




Fig. 245 — ^The auxiliary keel 

screw eyes were fastened to the dead wood of the boat and 
the keel board was made fast by a pair of long hooks, H, 
which engaged these screw eyes. At a couple of points along 
the keel board, two cross pieces, /, were let into the upper 
edge. These provided a bearing which rested against the 





I2 

Fig. 246 — The keel could be removed at a moment's notice. 

bottom of the boat and served to keep the auxiliary keel 
from twisting from one side to the other when in use. The 
edges of each crosspiece were chamfered so as to reduce fric- 
tion as much as possible. The keel could easily be removed 
at a moment's notice, and it was no difficult task to put it into 



Water Kites and Current Sailing 255 

place on the boat. With the auxiliary keel in place the kite 
action was much more pronounced. 

Current Sailing 

"I believe we could get across the creek in the boat without 
any oars by anchoring the tow line to shore," said Bill. 
"Let's try it, anyway." 

It was quite a job getting the boat down from Jenkin's 
Pond to the creek, but our enthusiasm lightened the task. 
We were working out a new invention, and it would have to 




Fig. 247 — The line was fastened to an endless "belly-band " 

be a very serious obstacle indeed that w^ould hold us in 
check. We were not disappointed either. The line, which 
was a very long one, was securely anchored to shore, and Its 
other end was fastened to an endless "belly band," K, which 
ran through a pulley at the bow and another at the stern 
of the boat, as shown in the plan view (Fig. 247) . By pull- 
ing the band fore and aft the bow of the boat could be made 
to point more or less out-stream. The boat was shoved off 
into the ebbing tide and allowed to drift down stream until 
the rope pulled it up short. Then Bill manipulated the 
"belly band" so that the bow pointed toward the opposite 



256 



The Scientific American Boy at School 




Fig. 248 — Actually moving up stream 



shore, and over we sailed, tacking right across the current, 
actually moving up stream as we described a wide curve that 
carried us to the opposite side. Bill was enthusiastic. 

"Great, isn't it?" he said, slapping me on the back. "Why, 

if we should ever lose our 
i\UMhr^^^^^^^^Aiif^i^^^^^^^^^ oars and want to get back 

across the stream, all we'd 
have to do would be to 
fasten our rope to one side 
and let the current sail us 
across to the other." 

"Yes," I retorted, "if 
there happened to be a 
good current, or if you hap- 
pened to have a long enough rope. When you're in trouble, 
things don't happen as handy as all that." 

"Oh, well, I shouldn't be surprised if it could be done, even 
without tying a rope to the shore." 
"How?" 

"Why, when you are drifting down with the stream, of 
course you can't steer one way or the other, but you can when 
the boat is going faster than the stream, or even when it's 
going slower than the stream. Now, if there was no other 
way to get across I'd tie a stone to the painter and let it drag 
along the bottom. Not a big stone, but one just large enough 
so that the boat would drift slower than the stream." 

"All right, here^s a stone. Don't tell me what you'd do. 
Show me." 

Sailing with a Drag 

Bill fastened the stone to the rope and slung it overboard. 
Then measuring what he judged to be a suitable length he 



Water Kites and Current Sailing 257 

fastened the line to the gunwale near the first seat from the 
bow and seated himself at the stern where he could manage 
the rudder. He kept the boat pointed diagonally across the 
creek and, as he drifted slowly down stream with the stone 
dragging along the mud bottom, he moved steadily toward 
the opposite shore. Then he fastened the rope to the other 
side of the boat, pointed the bow in the opposite direction, 
and came back again to our side, although he landed a long 
ways down the creek. We all had to try the trick then, and 
had quite a contest to see which would cross the stream and 
back with the least down-stream drift. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

THE CANVAS-COVERED WOODEN CANOE 

Bill wanted to drag the "Lady Bug" down to the creek 
again the next day to repeat the current sailing sport. But 
recollecting our struggles to get the heavy boat up the steep 
bank of the creek to Jenkin's Lake, for we had not dared to 
leave the boat where it might be stolen by the Mulligans, we 
were not eager to fall in with Bill's suggestion. "Jumbo," 
for one, declared that he could find all the fun he wanted 
right there in Lake Moeris. 

"But it is the command of Pharaoh," said Bill. 

"Oh, hang Pharaoh !" retorted "Jumbo." "I nearly burst 
a blood vessel hauling that boat up here, and I don't intend 
to run such a risk again." 

"What !" said Bill. "I'll teach you to defy Rameses, Pha- 
raoh of the Scarabeans ! Seize the rebel ! Chain him to the 
galleys!" 

"You'll have to do it yourself. Bill," said Roy. "You 
won't get any help from us." 

"A rebellion, is it? Well, I suppose I'll have to back 
down, but it's all your fault, Roy, for making such a cum- 
bersome boat-." 

"The 'Lady Bug' is all right," answered Roy, "but she 
isn't meant to be carried around in a vest pocket. What 
you want is a canoe." 

"Well, then, make a canoe," said Bill, "and if you need 
any help Jim can show you how to do it. He and I built one 
summer before last." 



The Canvas-Covered Wooden Canoe 259 

"Yes, I suppose so. One of those barrel hoop arrange- 
ments." 

"Well, how would you do it?" 

"Why, I'd make a wooden canoe and cover that with 
canvas." 

"All right, Roy, go ahead, if you're sure you know how." 

"Know how?" replied Roy indignantly. "Don't ask the 
Chief Admiral of the Scarabeans if he knows how to build 
a common wooden canoe." 

The method of construction that Roy adopted was not 
according to standard practice, the kind you find in a book. 
He had to figure out his own design which, as far as his 
memory served him, was based on the plans of the canoe he 
owned at home. It was to be 16 feet long over all, with a 
beam of 32^ inches, and built out of quarter inch white 
cedar planking and ribs. That meant money, but we were 
resolved to have the best. The planking was from 2 to 4 
inches wide and some of the boards had to be from 16^ 
to 17 feet long so that they would reach from end to end 
without break. 

Building the Frame of the Canoe 

First of all, Roy built five forms, one like that shown at 
C in Fig. 249, for the center of the canoe, and two each of 
the others, which were placed at each side of the center form. 
Two end pieces or stems, F, both exactly alike, were sawed 
out of a half inch board to the shape shown in Fig. 250. The 
curved edge of each end piece was chamfered. Two long 
planks, G and H (Fig. 251), were now nailed to the forms 
at the keel, and also to the end pieces, trimming them as 
they were nailed on to make a neat joint where they curved 
into the end pieces. The forms B and D were spaced 2 



26o 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



feet 1 1 Inches each side of the center form and the forms A 
and E i foot 9 inches further from the center. In the plan 
view of the finished canoe the positions of the forms are 




^'- s'A"- 




Fig. 249 — Forms for the canoe 

indicated by dotted lines marked Ay B, C, etc. The nails 
were not driven home, but were left with the heads project- 
ing, so that we could draw them out readily when we wished 
to move the temporary forms. The stems, however, were 

a permanent part of the 
^ '^'"'^'^"■Iliri"^ J_^_, boat, and we nailed the 

planks securely to them. 
Two more planks, / and 
/, were now nailed to 
the forms at the top, and 
then we took four 3-foot 
lengths of cedar plank- 
ing, 8 inches wide, and 
fastened two at each end 
"^ of the boat on the strips 

Fig. 250— One of tlie end pieces • t 

/ and /, as mdicated by 
dotted lines at K (Fig. 251), after which they were sawed 




TJic Canvas-Covered Wooden Canoe 



261 



off to form a graceful bow and stern. This done the rest of 
the planking was nailed on. First, every other plank was 




Fig. 251 — Nailing on the first planks 

nailed on and then we would place a board against the gap 
between two planks already nailed in place, and with a pencil 
trace on it the lines to which the board would have to be 
planed so as to fill the gap exactly. 




Fig. 252 — ^The steam box 

We were now ready to bend In our cedar ribs. They had 
to be steamed before this could be done, which called for a 
steam box. We procured a large galvanized iron pail and 



262 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



cut a wooden disk, L, just large enough to be jammed tightly 
in the mouth of the pail. From a plumber we got a piece of 
I -inch iron pipe, M, threaded at each end. A hole was 
drilled in the wooden disk, a trifle smaller than the outside of 
the pipe, and then the pipe was screwed into the hole as far 
as it would go. We had no pipe wrench with which to turn 

the pipe, but instead we took 
a light rope, doubled it, and 
wrapped it around the pipe. 
Then a stick was put through 
the loop at the center of the 
rope and used as a lever to 
turn the pipe. (See Fig. 
253.) In this way we got 
quite a powerful grip. At one 
side of the pipe another hole 
was drilled into the disk to 
admit a funnel through which 
we could fill the pail. 
The box N was made a foot square and 5 feet long. The 
bottom board of the box, however, was 8 feet long, so that 
it would span a good sized fire. The seams of the box were 
made as tight as possible to prevent unnecessary loss of 
steam. The lid at the top of the box was lined with strips 
of woolen cloth along the edges to make the joints steam 
tight when it was closed. The upper end of the gaspipe was 
screwed into a tight hole in the bottom of the steam box. In 
this case we used the disk on the pipe as a handwheel, which 
enabled us to screw the pipe home without our rope pipe 
wrench. With the steam box bottom side up we placed the 
pail over the disk and forced it on tightly, after which the 
pail was tied to the steam box so that its weight, particularly 




Fig. 253 — In this way we got quite 
a powerful grip 



The Canvas-Covered Wooden Canoe 263 

when filled with water, would not cause it to drop off the disk. 
This completed our steam box. 

Bending the Ribs 

A good fire was built on the ground and a couple of posts 
were placed at each side, while the steam box was supported 
on sticks laid across the upper ends of these posts with the 
pail hanging just over the fire. The water in the pail was 
soon brought to a boil and filled the box with steam. In the 
box we placed a dozen cedar ribs, each 4^ feet long. They 
were made of j^ inch stuff, 2 inches wide at the center, but 
tapering toward the ends to a width of about i Inch. We 
let them steam for an hour or more until they were quite 
pliable. Then we bent them into place in the canoe. Start- 
ing at each side of the center form the ribs were placed about 
4 inches apart on centers; in other words, there was a gap 
of two inches between each pair of ribs. However, beyond 
the forms, B and D, the interval between ribs was gradually 
lengthened. Copper nails were used to fasten the ribs to 
the planks, and the points which stuck through the wood 
were bent over and clinched, while a heavy hammer was 
held against the nail heads. The ribs were nailed to the 
bottom planks first and then up each side to the gunwales. 
While these ribs were being nailed to the planking, another 
batch of ribs not quite so long was being softened in the 
steam box. At the ends of the canoe we had to cut the ribs 
In two and fasten them to the planking on opposite sides of 
the stem pieces. When all the ribs were In place they were 
sawed off level with the top planks. 

Two small deck pieces, O, were fitted Into the ends of the 
canoe and fastened by nailing to the planking. Then two 
thwarts, P, were cut out of a piece of H inch ash 2 Inches 



264 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



wide. They were made just long enough to stretch across 

the canoe at a distance of 25^ feet each side of the center 

form. When these thwarts had been fastened in place we 

took out the temporary forms and fitted a thwart across the 

center of the 

canoe also. Then 

the ribs were 

bound together at 

the inside by 

means of a pair 

of gunwales, R, 

as shown clearly 

in Figs. 254 and 

255, The thwarts 

were also nailed 

to the under side 

of these gunwales. yjg 254-Details of the construction 

Two seats were 
fastened in the boat. 
They were made of 
wooden slats nailed to 
cleats and supported 
at the ends on a pair 
of wooden strips nail- 
ed to the ribs. The 
forward edge of the 
stern seat, S, which 
was 4 feet 10 inches 
from the center of the 
canoe, was placed just under the gunwales, while the for- 
ward seat, r, was placed 3 inches lower down. This seat 





Fig. 255 — End view showing left side 
in cross section 



The Canvas-Covered Wooden Canoe 



265 



was only 9 inches wide, while 
the stern seat was 10 inches 
wide. The shell of the boat 
was now complete, and we 
were ready to stretch on the 
canvas. 

Stretching on the Canvas 

We bought some No. 10 
canvas duck, 30 inches wide. 
The canoe was turned bottom 
side up and the canvas, which 
was first thoroughly wetted, 
was fastened with copper 
tacks along the keel of the 
boat to within a short dis- 
tance of the bow and stern, 
after which it was worked 
up over the curved shell of 
the canoe and tacked to the 
top plank. When it had been 
stretched and smoothly drawn 
over the entire shell, the sur- 
plus cloth was cut away. Then 
the cloth, while still wet, was 
treated with a couple of coats 
of white lead paint well rubbed 
into the seams. When this was 
thoroughly dry a coat of dark 
green enamel was apphed. 
Then a thin strip of oak, ^ 
inch thick, and tapering from 



cfq' 




266 The Scientific American Boy at School 

I inch in width at the center to ^ at the ends, was nailed 
to the bottom of the boat and up the curved stems to form 
a keel for the canoe. Wear strips, JJ, were nailed in place 
over the upper edge of the canvas to make a neat finish. The 
woodwork was covered with two coats of spar varnish. 
As we wished to use the canoe for current sailing, Roy 




V ,-..,. .- -. /e'-o: .- — --. 

Fig. 257 — Side view of the canoe 

provided a "deep keel," which could be removed at a mo- 
ment's notice. This was rigged up exactly like the keel of 
the "Lady Bug." With the "Iris," as we christened the 
canoe, we could do much better current sailing than with the 
"Lady Bug," but we did not have a chance to try the canoe 
before winter weather had set in. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 
THE BICYCLE SLED 

Snow came early that winter. There was lots of it, far 
more than we had had the previous year; and though we 
welcomed it for the sport it afforded, we dreaded it for 
another very good reason. The best coasting anywhere 
about was on Elmer's Hill, just beyond our lake, and, of 
course, that brought the Mulligans within the danger line of 
our house. They never bothered the neighborhood at night. 
"Doc" saw to it that the ghostly sounds and light appeared 
every now and then, to keep the popular superstition alive. 
But during the daytime, while we were in school, there was 
every chance that they could run over and loot the place. 
The only thing that saved us was the fact that Pat's father 
insisted on his going to public school. On that point he was 
so firm that Pat did not very often dare to "play hookey." 
Without Pat as a leader, we had little to fear from the rest 
of the gang. 

The Waving Bush 

Somehow or other, "Doc" always seemed to know when 
Pat was around; and on two occasions passed a note to such 
of us as were in the main schoolroom, bidding us to hurry 
out and defend our property. On each occasion we were just 
in time to drive away the gang. Whenever I asked him how 
he detected the presence of the Mulligans, he put on his mys- 
terious air, and I could get nothing out of him. His desk in 
the schoolroom was next to the window, and I began to sus- 
pect that he had rigged up some sort of a mirror scheme for 
looking around the corner to the lake, though that seemed 



2 68 The Scientific American Boy at School 

rather unlikely, because of the woods that intervened. The 
second time he called us out, I discovered a clue which solved 
the mystery. I was gazing out the window, when I saw the 
top of a bush just outside waving frantically back and forth, 
as if it were being blown by a heavy gale, but not a twig was 
stirring elsewhere. Just then "Doc" turned around, and 
noticed the waving bush. Reaching over to the window, he 
touched the glass with his finger, and the motion stopped. 
Then he asked to be excused from the room, and as was his 
wont, dropped a piece of paper on my desk and one on Bill's 
while on his way down the aisle. We took the hint and fol- 
lowed him, but before going out I crossed over to the window 
and saw Tommy Fithian running off toward the woods. 

It is a wonder that the teacher in charge let all three of 
us out without suspecting a conspiracy, but he was rather 
"easy," anyway. Only part of Pat Mulligan's gang was 
around on this occasion, the rest being presumably at school, 
and we succeeded in keeping them off until others of the 
Scarabs could come along and assist us. I said nothing about 
the waving bush for the time being, and "Doc" continued to 
enjoy the admiration of the rest because of his seemingly 
magic powers. These were only minor engagements pre- 
liminary to a real fight, which Is worthy of a place among the 
Seven Decisive Battles of History, but we will come to that 
presently. 

The Bicycle Sled 

The most Important work we did during the coasting 
season was to rig up what we called a bicycle sled. It was 
merely a bicycle mounted on runners, so that It could coast 
down hill as easily as a sled, and then could be pedaled up to 
the top again. At first we tried barrel staves for the runners, 



The Bicycle Sled 269 

but they were not quite the right shape, so out of a thin board 
we cut two pieces about 3^ feet long. One piece, A (Fig. 
:^5 8 ) , was 6 inches wide, while the other was but 4. Both of 
these runners were softened in the steam box, and then bent 
up at the forward end. A slot, B, was cut through the board, 
A, so that the rear wheel of the bicycle could project through 
it. The tire of the rear wheel was removed, and on the 
wheel rim we fastened a light rope threaded through a series 
of wooden cleats, C. The cleats were cut from a pole just 
large enough to fit the hollow of the groove. Fig. 259 




Fig. 259 — Cleats for the rear 
Fig. 258 — The rear runner wheel 

shows by dotted lines how a pole section was cut to form a 
cleat. A knot was tied at each side of each cleat, so as to 
hold it in place on the rope. The rope belt was placed 
around the wheel and tied as tightly as possible, and to 
prevent it from creeping along the wheel rim it was 
strapped at intervals to the bicycle spokes. The rear runner 
supported the bicycle wheel at such a height that the cleats 
would dig into the snow and push the machine along. A 
bracket, D, was fastened at each side of the slot, 5, and the 
rear axle of the wheel was secured in a pair of iron plates, E, 
fastened to the brackets. Directly in front of the rear wheel 
another bracket, F, was mounted on the runner between the 
pedals and the bicycle frame, which was made fast to it by 



270 The Scientific American Boy at School 

means of a strap. The brackets, D and F, were braced with 
iron angle pieces, G. The rear runners supported the wheels 
when traveling over soft roads, but on ice they were lifted 




A 
Fig. 260 — The bicycle sled 

clear, and all the weight came on the cleated wheel. Nailed 
to the front runner, H, were two wedges, /, to which a pair 
of strips, J, were nailed. The front wheel was fitted between 
these strips and fastened with skate straps, as shown in Fig. 
260. 

Wanted: A Brake 

"DdC" was the father of thi§ bicycle sled idaa, and he was 
the first one to pedal it up Elmer's Hill for a coast to the 
bottom. He got a good flying start, and went down at a 
terrific pace. At the bottom of the hill the road curved quite 
sharply around Fithian's Woods. As he came to the turn, 
"Doc" leaned toward the inside of the curve, to keep from 
being slung off, but the broad runners did not respond as 
readily as a round bicycle tire, and the last we saw of him 
he was reeling on the outer edge of the runner, making a 



The Bicycle Sled 271 

much wider sweep than the road would allow in his effort to 
keep from upsetting. 

"He never made it !" cried Bill excitedly, as he ran full tilt 
down the hill. We all raced after him. When we reached 
the bottom, we found "Doc" at the side of the road, sitting 
in the snow, somewhat dazed, and with a rapidly swelling 
bruise over his left eye. 

"Are you hurt?" we cried. "Where is the machine?" 

"The Mulligans!" he gasped. 

We caught a fleeting glimpse of Pat on the bicycle sled, 
pedaling for all he was worth around the next bend, while 
behind him streamed his gang. Bill led the chase after them, 
while I stopped to take care of "Doc." 

"Why, what happened?" I asked as I helped him to his 
feet. 

"I'm not dead sure," he answered, still very much dazed. 
"Couldn't seem to make the 'bike' take the curve. Got most 
of the way around, when it shot off into these bushes. Can't 
say what hit me, but the first thing I knew the Mulligans 
were right there, and they swiped the machine and ran off." 

"I guess Pat hit you. He must have been laying for you 
all the time. They'd have stolen the sled just the same, 
whether you fell off or not. Don't believe they can catch 
them now; they had too big a start, and Pat was pedaling 
like 'Sam Hill.' How do you feel now, old man? Let's see 
what they're doing? Don't take it so much to heart. It was 
a good-for-nothing old wheel, anyhow." 

"It Isn't the wheel I mind," said "Doc," running after me. 
"It's the humiliation of having Pat Mulligan do me." 

"Well, cheer up. You've got the best of him every time 
so far. It happens to be his inning now, but I'll bet you can 
more than clean up the score next time." 



272 The Scientific American Boy at School 

Half way downtown we came upon the Scarabs. They 
had had a short skirmish with the MuUigans, but in the 
meantime Pat had gotten clean away, and they had no idea 
where to look for him. 

"Guess your wheel's gone for good," said Bill. 

"But you're not going to give it up like that, are you?" 
asked "Doc." 

"Well, it seems to me," answered Bill, "that the Great 
Arch Priest and Astrologer of the Sacred Scarabeus hardly 
needs any assistance from mortal man. I thought he was 
going to laugh his enemies to scorn. It is time he called 
forth the powers of darkness to confound 'the people of 
Mulliganus.' " 

To this taunting "Doc" made no reply, but merely gritted 
his teeth. 

The next morning, much to everyone's surprise, "Doc" 
had the bicycle sled in his possession. When he was ques- 
tioned about it, he replied that as long as his fellow Scara- 
beans hadn't helped him, he had been obliged to fall back 
on magic. This magic business was certainly getting tire- 
some, and I determined to show "Doc" that at least one of 
the Scarabs was onto his game. That very afternoon, on 
my way back from one of the recitation rooms, I slipped 
outdoors and hurried around to the bush, which I shook 
violently. Presently, I saw a finger pressed against the 
window glass. It wasn't long before "Doc" came tearing 
around the corner. 

"So this is the magic you've been playing," I said. 

"For Heaven's sake, Jim, don't give me away," pleaded 
"Doc," as he saw Bill emerging from the lobby. "I'll tell 
you all about it, but don't let on to Bill." 

I didn't have time to make any promises. 



The Bicycle Sled 273 

"False alarm, Bill," I cried. 

"Hello! you here, Jim?" 

"Yes," I said; "been out here all the time. There are no 
Mulligans about, so we'd better get back again right away." 

"Queer," said Bill. "What's the matter with our Arch 
Priest these days? The Sacred Scarabeus must be playing 
tricks on him." 

At the very first opportunity I made "Doc" tell me all 
about his dealings with Tommy FIthian; how he had paid 
him small sums to guard the lake house during school hours 
and keep a watchful eye on the Mulligan gang; how Tommy 
had seen Pat hide the bicycle sled In an old shed, and at risk 
of being seized as a thief had crept to the shed late that 
evening and had retaken the bicycle. 

After school, when we were all gathered about our little 
wood stove In the lake house, someone asked "Doc" again 
about the magic return of his wheel. 

"It doesn't matter how I got It back," said "Doc." "But 
I tell you this much — the Mulligans are having things too 
much their own way. I have saved this place twice this 
year by giving the alarm just In the nick of time. But I 
can't do everything myself. It's time the rest of you did 
something. As long as we sit around here on the defensive 
the Mulligans will keep on coming here, and sooner or later 
they'll catch us off our guard and break up our house again. 
What we ought to do Is to march down Into their own terri- 
tory, and spoil their coasting hill and give them a licking on 
their own home grounds. Then, maybe, they'll respect us, 
and think twice before attacking us." 

"I don't know but you're right," said Bill. "Only It would 
take more than seven of us to do It. The whole East Side 
would be up against us. We might get the rest of the school 
to help us, though." 



274 ^^^ Scientific American Boy at School 

"That's the scheme!" said Roy. "We'll organize a raid. 
We can get half the day scholars anyway, and ten or eleven 
of the boarders." 

Then we all fell to and discussed the details of the attack. 
The fight was planned for the following Saturday. About 
ten of the older boarders were approached, and they were 
glad to give us their services. Of the day scholars, we got 
only about sixteen who were willing to help us out. "Doc" 
agreed to do the scouting, which would enable us to locate 
the enemy, so that we could swoop down on them to the best 
advantage. 

A Raid on the Mulligans 

Saturday morning was bitterly cold. I awoke to hear the 
wagon wheels creaking and whining In protest as they were 
dragged over the brittle snow. It must have been down to 
zero, which is pretty chilly for South Jersey. 

"Most too cold to make snowballs," I said to Bill. 

"If you think this Is going to be merely a snowball fight,'* 
he answered, "you have another guess coming. The Mulli- 
gans aren't the kind to stand off and shy a chunk of snow at 
you once In a while. They're scrappers, they are. I tell you 
we are In for the fight of our lives, and the colder It Is the 
better we can fight." 

Shortly after breakfast we started off for the East Side, 
not In a body, but singly and In pairs. We did not want Pro- 
fessor James to know anything about it, because we were not 
sure that he would approve of our undertaking. Some of 
us had permission to go to town and others stole off on the 
sly. 

Bill and I met "Doc" down at the Post Oflice, and he told 
us that Pat Mulligan and his gang were coasting on Riley's 



The Bicycle Sled 275 

Hill. The hill was a short one that ran from High Street 
to Baker Street, where a glass factory stood directly in the 
way; but there was a narrow alley alongside the factory, 
known as Biddle's Lane, and if a fellow could get a good 
start down Riley's Hill he could make an S-turn across Baker 
Street and shoot through this alley into Elmer Place. It 
was the skill of making this S-turn that proved the attraction 
at Riley's Hill, and it was our object to spoil the fun by 
dumping a can of ashes at the head of the alley. I was to 
station my forces at the other end of the alley and seize every 
coaster that came through, and Bill with his detachment was 
to raid the top of the hill, and while we kept the coasters 
busy "Doc" and Roy were to haul the ash can to the spot 
on a sled and strew the ashes over the snow. 

"Doc" remained at the Post Office for a while to direct 
the boys to the rendezvous near Riley's Hill. When all had 
gathered, we divided our forces, and while my detachment 
went to Elmer Place, Bill headed for High Street. Aside 
from trapping the boys coasting down through the alley, we 
had to catch those who were taking their sleds back around 
the other side of the factory, before they could give the 
alarm to the rest. It meant quick work, but we were equal 
to the occasion. With a sudden swoop we succeeded in 
taking three or four prisoners before they were aware that 
anyone was around. Not a Mulligan was among them, and 
it was an easy matter to make them keep quiet while we laid 
in wait for the rest. The first fellow to come through the 
alley was Pat himself, and right behind him came Larry, the 
next biggest fellow of the gang. We yanked them off their 
sleds as they were speeding by us, and then came a battle 
royal. Despite the suddenness of the attack, Pat and Larry 
put up a game fight, and before we could get them under 



276 The Scientific American Boy at School 

control two more Mulligans shot through the alley and 
joined in. Other coasters arrived, and in a moment we had 
our hands full. 

Why didn't "Doc" hurry up with the ash can? When 
would Bill come to our assistance? The noise of the battle 
brought other East SIders to the scene and soon we were so 
outnumbered that we had to beat an inglorious retreat. Bill's 
detachment in the meantime was having but little better 
success at the top of the hill, and was soon forced to flee. As 
luck would have it the two retreating armies met and joined 
forces several blocks away. We had not realized how 
serious a matter it would be to invade the East Side. Boys 
seemed to spring up from every alley and lane. We were 
far outnumbered and completely surrounded. A policeman 
— there were only two or three on the day force — came strut- 
ting around the corner. A brick knocked off his helmet and 
another whizzed by his nose. He turned precipitately and 
fled. We were in a perfect rain of bricks, stones, and chunks 
of ice. Bruised and battered, we tried to force our way back. 
Suddenly, there was a lull in the fight. "Jumbo" had been 
knocked down by a stone that cut an ugly gash in his scalp, 
and he lay as if dead. Just at that moment Pat Mulligan's 
father appeared on the scene, grabbed his son by the collar, 
and marched him off home. We made good use of this 
opportunity to escape. "Jumbo" was lifted on "Doc's" sled 
and we made off. 

Licked 

We had been licked. There was little doubt of that, but 
Roy and "Doc" had performed their mission. For the first 
time in history the East Side had been inv^aded by a hostile 
army. For the first time in their lives the Mulligans had 



The Bicycle Sled 277 

had their property destroyed by an enemy. That much we 
had accomplished, but was it worth all the bruises and 
•wounds we had received? "Jumbo" was soon revived, but 
his wounds were not the only bad ones. Not one of us but 
had a swollen lip or smashed nose or a blackened eye as a 
souvenir of the battle. Worst of all we could not conceal 
our bruises from Professor James. What would he say, 
especially to those who had sneaked off? We were not long 
in doubt. He had us all up at his office at once, where we 
were rigidly cross-examined. Bill explained the whole situa- 
tion, and took the blame on himself for getting the other 
boys out to help the Scarabs. He pointed out how persist- 
ently the Mulligans had annoyed us, and how we had decided 
to settle them once and for all by a fight such as they would 
never forget, 

"No doubt your provocation was great," said Professor 
James, "but I do not think you made a wise move, judging 
by the look of your faces. However, be that as it may, what 
I particularly criticise is the fact that you sneaked off to the 
fight. I told you before what I think of a sneak. There 
is nothing I detest so much. Nothing the world detests sa 
much." 

Then he gave us a lecture on sneaking and on our betrayal 
of the pledge to keep him informed of the club's plans. He 
spoke very quietly and calmly, without the slightest show 
of anger, but in dead earnest, until we felt hke the meanest 
of boys^that ever dwelt on earth. He punished us, too, b^ 
keeping us in during the recess hour for a week, and we 
were glad he did it, because we felt guilty. 

As for the Mulligans, so far from settling them once and 
for all, we had forced them, by spoiling their coasting, to 
come more frequently to our coasting hill. They bothered 



278 The Scientific American Boy at School 

us all the time. "Doc" gave up trying to protect the lake 
house. The teacher in charge of the main schoolroom 
during the last hour of the afternoon session was beginning 
to grow suspicious and would not let him go when Tommy 
waved the danger signal. We caught the Mulligans once 
in the act of smashing our house and drove them off before 
they did much damage. Things came to such a pass that we 
had to dismantle the house and abandon it during the rest 
of the winter. The Mulligans respected us for the fight we 
had given them in their own territory, but they were now 
more persistent than ever in their attacks on us. The secret 
of the matter was that they thoroughly enjoyed a fight, and 
instead of punishing them we had furnished them a treat. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

MAGIC 

The year before we had spent practically the entire winter 
sitting around our wood stove, and planning great things for 
the spring. But the springtime was all too short for our 
purposes, and was so talcen up with building that we had no 
time to play. This year we decided to take Time by the 
forelock, and do our work during the winter months, and 
then when the warm weather arrived and spring fever took 
possession of us, we could enjoy the fruit of our winter's 
labor. Unfortunately, we began the winter with an empty 
treasury. Our canoe was all finished, except for paint and 
varnish, and we had not enough money to buy that. With 
the approach of winter the revenue from our canal lock had 
entirely ceased, and the materials for the canoe soon ate up 
all we had saved. Roy suggested calling on Professor James 
for help. He had promised to do "considerably more than 
his share" when he joined the club, but so far we hadn't let 
him pay any more than the regular yearly dues which were 
levied on the rest of the club members. 

"I don't fancy that scheme," said Bill. "We ought to 
find some way of earning the money." 

"How about a show?" I suggested. " 'Doc' could demon- 
strate his powers as Arch Priest and Astrologer of the 
Sacred Scarabeus, and 'Sneezer' could work the piano, while 
'Jig' gave us a whistling performance, and 'Jumbo' might 
do the clog dance." 

"Jig" was really a musical freak. He could get music out 
of anything. He had a wonderful collection of queer 



2 8o The Scientific American Boy at School 

musical instruments. He could play a tune by hitting a 
pencil against his teeth. He knew several ways of making 
music by blowing into his clasped hands, and half a dozen 
methods of whistling through his fingers. Then he had a 
peculiar way of whistling with his throat, producing a rich 
flute tone. When it came to trilling and fancy whistling, he 
could beat any professional I had ever heard. But the 
stunt par excellence was the duet that he rendered all by 
himself. He would whistle a tune, and at the same time 
hum the alto or base. With "Sneezer" to accompany him 
on the piano, "Jig" alone could furnish a very good evening's 
entertamment. But then with "Doc's" sleight-of-hand and 
magic to vary the programme, and "Jumbo's" clog dance, 
which was really a whole show in itself, I felt sure that the 
audience would get at least ten cents' worth of amusement, 
and may be they would be willing to pay fifteen. 

The Egyptian Entertainment 

The rest of the club was enthusiastic. We would make 
this an Egyptian entertainment, and rig ourselves up in 
Egyptian style. Professor James gave us permission to use 
the schoolroom. One of the schoolboys had a small printing 
press, and with this we printed about two hundred admis- 
sion tickets. "Jig" made up half a dozen large posters, 
adorned with the Scarabeus and various Egyptian emblems 
done in vivid colors. The posters read as follows : 

MAGIC MYSTERY 

A Marvelous Exhibition of Black Art 

by the Great Amenophis, 

Arch Priest of the Sacred Scarabeus. 

An Elephantastic Dance. 



Masic 281 



*6> 



Oriental Music, Most Entrancing, 
by Pharaoh's Court Musician. 
At the Academy, Friday Evening, December Thirteenth. 
Admission — Ten Cents. 

The posters were tacked up in the Post Office and the 
Town Library and on several billboards. We got a number 
of the day scholars to make a house-to-house canvas of the 
town and sell the tickets for us on the promise of getting 
one free for every ten sold. Several kindly-disposed friends 
of the Academy bought a dollar's worth of tickets at a time, 
and gave them to their friends. Old Farmer Fithian bought 
twenty tickets. The rest were soon sold, and we had to 
print more to supply the demand. 

Stage Settings 

When the night of our entertainment came around, we 
had an audience of nearly three hundred persons. We were 
all rigged up in clothes of gorgeous color, made largely of 
colored paper and white muslin dyed with colored inks. 
Pharaoh sat on an elaborate throne, made out of an or- 
dinary chair painted with gilt and vivid red and blue paint. 
In his hand was a scepter. Overhead we fastened a huge 
fan in the form of a Scarabeus, which was swung slowly 
back and forth by Tommy Fithian, whom we had pressed 
into service. His face was blackened to represent an Ethio- 
pian slave. An imitation palm tree was set at each side of 
the throne. They were made by cutting leaves out of green 
paper, and fastening them to a stump with strips of brown 
paper. The stumps were set in large flower pots. At 
Pharaoh's right stood James Amenhotep, the Grand Vizier, 
and at his left Amenophis, the Chief Priest and Astrologer, 



282 The Scientific American Boy at School 

robed m a flowing black gown with a magician's cap on his 
head. The other four Scarabs sat cross-legged on the floor 
at the foot of the throne. It was my duty as Grand Vizier 
to introduce Pharaoh and the Order of the Sacred Scara- 
beus. Then as Pharaoh pointed with his scepter to "Jig," 
or "Doc," or "Jumbo," I would announce to the audience 
what form of entertainment his August Majesty had de- 
manded. 

The Arch Priest of the Sacred Scarabeus 

It would be hard to say which performer was most appre- 
ciated. "Jumbo" certainly brought down the house, and 
almost literally at that, with his Cyclopean antics, while 
"Jig" gave us a really first-class musical performance. But 
"Doc," with his mysterious tricks, probably excited the most 
admiration. When I had Introduced him, taking pains to 
proclaim his full title as Impressively as possible, he came 
forward and explained that he was but human, and could no 
more perform a miracle than anyone else in the audience, 
unless empowered by the Sacred Scarabeus, whose servant 
he was. He would invoke the aid of the Sacred Scarabeus, 
and beseech it to come down and rest over his heart, that the 
audience might see for themselves the author of the wonder- 
ful mysteries. With that he raised his right arm, gazed 
toward the ceiling, and uttered some gibberish. 

Advent of the Sacred Scarabeus 

Suddenly, without any apparent move on his part, a large 
Scarabeus in dazzling blue, green, and gilt colors appeared, 
no one knew whence, right over his heart. The effect was 
magic, as was indicated by the storm of applause. 

The trick is really an old one, but it was new to us. I 



Magic 283 

made "Doc" explain it to me the next day — that and all the 
other tricks as well. The Scarabeus had been made up for 
him by "Jig." It was fastened by a black silk thread, which 
passed through a hole in his robe and was attached to one 
end of a rubber band. The rubber band passed around his 
body, and w^as secured to his vest at the back. Before 
coming on the stage he had tucked the Scarabeus under his 
arm, and the silk thread which connected it to the rubber 
band was invisible against his black gown. When he wished 
the Scarabeus to appear, he separated his arm slightly, from 
his body, releasing the device and letting the rubber band 
pull it up to the hole in his gown, where It remained during 
the rest of the performance. 

A Message from the Scarabeus 

"Doc" bowed his thanks to the audience, and then told 
them that he was sure the Scarabeus had a message for them. 
He took two slates and held them up before the spectators, 
to show that there was no writing on the front or back of 
either slate. To remove all grounds for suspicion, "Doc" 
handed down one of the slates, and it was passed around 
the audience. One man, however, was not satisfied, and 
asked to see the other. Without a moment's hesitation 
"Doc" handed him what we all thought was the other slate, 
but he owned up to me the next day that he had really handed 
back the one that had already been examined, while the other 
never left the platform. After the audience had satisfied 
itself that there was no writing on either slate, the two were 
put face to face with a small piece of slate pencil between 
them, and then they were fastened together with a rubber 
band. "Doc" explained that the Sacred Scarabeus would 
place its invisible hand between the plates, seize the pencil, 



284 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



and write out the message. He held the two slates in his 
right hand at arm's length, and almost immediately a faint 
scratching noise was heard, like that made by a slate pencil 

when writing. When the writ- 
ing had ceased he separated 
the slates, and handed one of 
them around for inspection. 
On it was written, "Welcome, 
My Friends." 

From my position behind 
the scenes I could see that 
"Doc" was making the scratch- 
ing noise on the back of the 
slate with the nail of his little 
finger. He had done the writ- 
ing before the performance 
began, and concealed it by laying over it a piece of thin black 
cardboard of the exact size of the slate. When showing 
the slates to the spectators, he was careful to keep the 
cardboard cover in place with his thumb. He held the 




Fig. 261 — The message on the slate 




Fig. 262 — Making the apparent transfer 

slate in his left hand, and when the other slate was being 
handed to him after being examined, he took it in his right 
hand. When making the apparent transfer of the slate 
from his left hand to the right he slipped the two together, 



Magic 285 

one on top of the other, and then he drew out with his 
right hand the same slate as he had held in this hand before 
and gave it to the audience for inspection, while the slate 
with the writing was still held safely in his left hand. After 
scratching the slate, to make believe that the writing was 
being done inside, "Doc" had taken off the rubber band 
and laid the slates on the table with the one on which the 
message was written on top, so that when he lifted this off, 
the cardboard cover would be left behind on the other slate. 
Fortunately, no one asked to see the other slate, but had 
any one done so, "Doc" would probably have juggled the 
cover oft' without being discovered. 

Magic Flowers 

"Doc" then explained that in Eg^'pt, the home of the 
Scarabeus, the land is very dry except along the River Nile. 
There is no water, no rain, nothing but sand; but that the 
Sacred Scarabeus loved flowers, and on his trips over the 
desert wastes he would plant magic seeds, and the flowers 
Y/ould spring up and bloom instantly from the dryest sand 
and the barest rock. It was "Doc's" good fortune to have 
some of these seeds in his possession, and he would now 
demonstrate their magic properties. He produced from his 
vest pocket a little tin box, in which there was an odd assort- 
ment of seeds. Selecting one of the seeds, he put it in a 
small round cardboard box and passed the box around 
among the spectators to show them that there was nothing 
in it but the seed. When the box was returned to him he said 
that he would have to conceal the box for a second, because 
the flower would not sprout vv'hen exposed to the vulgar gaze. 
Picking up a paper tube that was lying on the table, he placed 



286 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



it over the box. Instantly he withdrew it and showed us 
a small plant in full bloom growing out of the box. 

Of course, the flower was in the paper tube all the time, 
glued to a false box. Figs. 263 and 264 show the arrange- 
ment. Box A is the one that was passed around among the 







-^ 


& 


U 




i 


^ 


m 


ir 1 

1 1 


1 


§ 


$ 








^ 


^ 


1 


^ 




Fig. 263 — The flower was in the 
tube glued to a false box 



Fig. 264 — The boxes of the 
magic flower trick 



spectators and box B the false one to which the flowers were 
glued. When "Doc" first lifted the tube from the table he 
pinched the sides at the bottom to keep box B from falling 
out. After he had placed the tube over box A he raised the 
tube by the top and left the box B covering box A. 

The Bouquet in the Goblet 

The trick was too well known. "The flowers were in the 
tube all the time," said some one in the audience. 

At this "Doc" appeared to grow very angry. "You have 
chosen to doubt the magic of these seeds," he cried. "You 
shall be convinced beyond the shadow of a doubt. Here is a 



Magic 



287 



goblet. The seeds shall be planted in this transparent vessel, 
In which nothing Is concealed. To shield the flowers from 
your gaze while they are bursting into bloom I will cover 
them with the stovepipe hat of our illustrious trustee, Doctor 
Dubois, if he will be so kind as to pass it up to me." 

Doctor Dubois obligingly handed up the hat. 

"You will agree with me that there is nothing in it," said 
"Doc," turning the hat over and shaking it out. "Now, we 
will convince that doubting Thomas." 

He placed the hat over the 
glass and then lifted it off. 
Much to every one's surprise 
no flowers appeared. "Doc" 
looked puzzled and scratched^ 
his head. 





-A bouquet of hothouse 
flowers 



Fig. 266- 



-Lifting the bouquet Into 
the hat 



"You forgot to sow the seeds," said some one. 

"That's so," said "Doc," and selecting half a dozen thrs 
time he put them in the glass and covered it once more with 
the hat. When the hat was removed there was a beautiful 
bouquet of hothouse flowers in the glass. In triumph "Doc" 
handed it down to the astonished spectators for investiga- 
tion. 



288 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



The secret of the trick was this. "Doc" had purposely 
neglected to put the seeds in the glass the first time, so that 
in the surprise following the apparent failure of the trick he 
could slip the bouquet into the hat without being observed. 
The bouquet was wrapped with a piece of paper, forming a 
tube in which he could stick his finger. A tin shelf was 
attached to the table, as shown in Fig. 266, and on this the 
bouquet was supported, with the stem end sticking up. It 
was a simple matter to hold the hat at the edge of the table 
and sticking his little finger into the paper tube to lift up the 
flowers into the hat without arousing the slightest suspicion. 

Eggs in the Magic Handkerchief 

"The Sacred Scarabeus," continued "Doc," "always takes 
good care of his priests. When they start on a journey 
across the desert they take no food with them, for the 

Scarabeus furnishes the 
food that is most suited to 
their needs. All the priest 
has to do Is to take his 
pv magic silk handkerchief like 



this," taking out a handker- 
chief from his pocket and 
spreading It before the spec- 
tators, "crumple it like this, 
and behold the food." Out 
of the crumpled cloth he 
drew an egg. This he 
dropped into the hat, while 
Doctor Dubois fidgeted ap- 
prehensively. Then stretching out the handkerchief again, 
"Doc" crumpled it a second time and drew forth a second 




Fig. 267 — An empty shell suspended by 
a fine thread 



Magic 



289 



egg. The same performance was repeated a dozen times, 
until it seemed that the hat must be full of eggs. But "Doc" 
turned it upside down, and it was empty. 

"There is one thing the Scarabeus insists on," he ex- 
plained, "unless the eggs are eaten at once they vanish into 
thin air, nor will he let us 
have more than one egg at 
a time. When I produced 
the second egg, the first one 
vanished. There was never 
more than one egg at a time 
in the hat. Now, the last 
one also has vanished." 

We behind the scenes 
could see how the trick was 
done. The egg, which was 
an empty shell, was sus- 
pended by a fine thread 
from one edge of the hand- 
kerchief. 

The Padded Hat 

Before returning the hat 
to Doctor Dubois, "Doc" 
played one more trick with 
it. "Much as I hate to be- 




Fig. 268 — Yard after yard of paper 



tray a man's secrets, the situation that confronts me Is so 
serious, that I am in duty bound to make It public." "Doc" 
hesitated a moment, as if he hated to tell on the doctor; then 
he burst out: "This hat was never meant for Doctor 
Dubois's head. How he came In possession of It Is a matter 
for you to decide. The hat Is certainly too large for him, or 
he would not have padded the sweatband with paper. So 



290 The Scientific American Boy at School 

saying, "Doc" drew out a narrow strip of paper, amid roars 
of laughter. He drew and drew and kept on drawing yard 
after yard of paper ribbon until the platform was covered 
with it. In the excitement following the disappearance of 
the eggs he had slipped a roll of ticker tape into the hat in 
exactly the same way as he had the flowers, by sticking his 
middle finger into the hole in the center of the roll. 

Changing Ink to "Water 

After "Jumbo's" clog dance, "Doc" stepped forward with 
a goblet full of ink. To prove that the black fluid was really 
ink, he thrust a visiting card into it and showed that it was 
discolored. He also dipped out a spoonful, poured it into 
a saucer and passed it around for examination. Then he 
borrowed a plain gold ring from some one in the house, and 
as if by accident let it slip out of his fingers into the goblet. 

"Doc" apologized profusely for his clumsiness. "Now," 
he said, "I will have to get that ring out somehow, but I am 
not going to soil my fingers. I'll use the magic silk handker- 
chief." He placed the handkerchief over the glass, and 
when he lifted it up, lo and behold! the ink had turned to 
water, and there were goldfish swimming around in it ! He 
reached down and picked out the ring from the bottom of 
the glass and handed it back to the owner. 

The secret of the performance was this : The tumbler 
contained no ink at all. The ink effect was produced by a 
strip of black rubber cloth that lined the inner surface of the 
glass. A fine thread attached to the cloth hung over the 
edge of the glass and a cork was fastened to the thread so 
that "Doc" could readily find it when he wished to. The 
card had already been blackened on one side, so that all 
he had to do was to show first the clean side and then, after 



Magic 



291 



dipping it in the goblet, turn it around and show the other 
side. In the bowl of the spoon he had put a little powdered 
aniline black. By breathing on the spoon he had moistened 
it, and the moisture made the powder stick fast. When he 





Fig. 269— The ink had turned to 
water 



Fig. 270 — A thread attached to 
the cloth 



dipped out the water the powder was dissolved at once, 
making a black ink. When he covered the goblet "Doc" 
seized the cork and removed the rubber cloth in the folds of 
the handkerchief. 

The Magic Solvent 

"Doc" now took another tumbler and filled It with water. 
From his pocket he took a small vial, which he said con- 
tained a powerful solvent known only to the ancient Egyp- 
tian priesthood. One drop of this magic fluid diluted in a 
gobletful of water would be powerful enough to dissolve a 
silver .dollar instantly. After carefully putting a drop of 
the stuff into the water he asked if some one in the house 
was willing to sacrifice a dollar in this way. No silver 



292 



The Scicntiiic American Boy at School 



dollars were to be had and so he fished one out of his vest 
pocket, passed it around to prove that it was genuine, and 
had it marked for identification. Then he called for a dele- 
gate in the house to come up on the platform and see that he 
did no trickery. "Doc" had a round glass disk just the size 
of a silver dollar. He had found a pocket mirror of the 
required dimensions and had removed the silvering from 
the back by first softening it in alcohol and then scraping it 
off. This glass he held in the palm 
of his hand when he took the dollar 
between thumb and finger. The gob- 
let he handed to the man who had 
come up to inspect the performance. 
Then "Doc," with the dollar still be- 
tween thumb and finger, placed a 
handkerchief over his hand and asked 
the delegate to take the coin in the 
folds of the handkerchief, as shown 
in Fig. 271, and drop the dollar into 
the goblet containing the water. He 
did so, and plainly heard it drop into 
the glass. But when he whipped 
away the cloth there was nothing in the goblet. Not satis- 
fied, he poured out the water, but there was not the slightest 
trace of the coin in it. 

"Doc" had substituted the glass disk for the coin, and 
it was the glass that was dropped into the goblet. The 
bottom of the goblet was flat and so nearly the size of the 
disk that there was no evidence of the piece of glass in the 
water. When the water was poured out the glass stuck fast 
and remained undiscovered. Then "Doc" said he would get 
the dollar back by filtering the liquid through the magic 




Fig. 271— Taking the coin 

in tlie folds of the 

handkerchief 



Magic 



293 



handkerchief. He placed the handkerchief over the goblet 
again and poured the water back, filtering it through the 
cloth. From the folds of the handkerchief he then drew 
the original dollar, which was handed around for identifica- 
tion. 

Making Money 

"We have been entertaining you here this evening," said 

"Doc," "so that we can raise money enough to carry on the 

work of our society, but really, you know, we don't have to 

get our money in that way. The Arch Priest and Astrologer 



<^ 




Fig. 272 — An affair that looked like a small clothes wringer 

of the Sacred Scarabeus has a magic device with which he 
can turn out dollar bills as fast as he can turn a crank. How- 
ever, kno\ying that it is against the law of these United States 
to manufacture money, he has refrained from using the little 
machine. But if any one in the audience so desires, a demon- 
stration of the machine will now be made." He showed 
them an affair that looked like a small clothes wringer. 
Taking a piece of white paper he slipped it between the 



294 



The Scientific American Boy at School 




roller and turned the crank. A dollar bill emerged from the 

other side. The performance 
.was repeated until he had half 
a dozen crisp bills scattered 
around the table. He let a dele- 

Ifil Iff f if^ J^ ^ 11 Bl 
H 11 Vl ^ ^^Ji ffM II gation of the spectators come up 

and examine them. They were 
genuine enough. 

Around the two rollers of the 
machine was a strip of paper 
coiled, as shown in Fig. 273. 
The bills were coiled around one 
of the rollers between the folds 
of the paper, and when the crank 
was turned they were ground out 
while the blank strips were 
wound up on the other roll. 
After the bills had been exam- 
ined, "Doc" said that he did not care to lay himself open to 
charges of counterfeiting, so he would put the bills through 
the machine backwards and take off the printing on them. 
Turning the other crank of the device he wound in the bills 
and ground out the blank strips. 

The Disappearance of Tommy 

For the final act of the entertainment, "Doc" said he 
would give the spectators a demonstration of the wonderful 
power that had been granted him by the Sacred Scarabeus. 
A large wooden box was dragged to the front of the plat- 
form, lifted up, and turned over so that the audience could 
see that it was sound. Tommy Fithian was called forth and 
placed in it. The box was closed and locked. Then "Doc" 



Fig. 273 — A strip of paper coiled 
about the rolls 



Magic 



295 




Fig. 274 — ^The box had a double bottom 



turned It over on its side so that he could get at the buckles 
of a large leather strap that apparently passed around the 
box. Then standing up he raised his hand on high and 
uttered some gibber- 
ish. When the box 
was opened it was 
found to be empty. 
*'Doc" called "Jig" 
and Roy to help him 
lift the box up on end 
so that there would 
not be the slightest 
doubt of the disap- 
pearance of Tommy. As they moved forward, one on each 
side of "Doc," I saw Tommy sneak out the back of "Doc's" 
gown and hide behind one of the imitation palm trees. 
The box in which Tommy had been hidden had a double 

bottom arranged in 
the form of an L, as 
shown in Fig. 274. 
This was hinged in 
place by means of a 
couple of stout nails at 
each end of the box, 
which entered the bot- 
tom at the corner of 
the L. When the box 
was turned over on its 




Fig. 275— This let Tommy out 



side, the bottom on which Tommy lay remained stationary, 
and the side of the L formed the bottom of the box, while 
the rest of the box was swung over him. (See Fig. 275.) 
This let Tommy out of the box, and when "Doc" put his 



296 The Scientific American Boy at School 

knee on the chest to strap It Tommy crawled under his gown. 
When the box was turned face upward again the parts 
resumed their original positions, the bottom being held by a 
spring catch that Tommy had held open when he was inside. 

Tommy's Return 

While the audience was wondering what had become of 
Tommy, "Doc" spoke up and told them that the slave was 
too valuable a servant of Pharaoh's to be lost in such a 
manner. He would call him back. Pointing to a distant 
corner of the room he spoke some mystic words, and then, 
with a sudden sweep of his arm, pointed toward Pharaoh's 
throne, and there was the grinning Tommy pumping away at 
the fan. 

To say that our entertainment was a success would be 
putting it very mildly. Professor James congratulated us 
heartily, as did Doctor Dubois, and several others. A num- 
ber of the spectators urged us to repeat the performance, 
as they had friends who must see it. We did the entertain- 
ment before an even larger audience two weeks later, which 
helped out our treasury considerably. 



CHAPTER XXV. 
THE SAIL BOAT 

Our best work for that winter was the construction of a 
sailboat. Not a rowboat with a patch of canvas stuck up in 
front, but a genuine round-bottom sailboat with deck and 
cockpit. It was not a large affair, not much larger than our 
*'Lady Bug." It was hard for all of us to crowd into it at 
the same time, but that difficulty was easily remedied by 
dividing the club into two divisions, with Roy captain of the 
first division, and myself captain of the other. My division 
would have the boat for a week, and then we would turn it 
over to Roy and his crew for the following week. 

Forms and Side Planks 

Of course, Roy designed the boat. He was in charge 
of everything nautical. It was to be 14^ feet long, with a 
beam of nearly 5 feet. We started by cutting out two side 
planks out of %-inch boards. To allow for the swell of the 
boat, they were made 14 feet 9 inches long. One edge was 



*-■•-*--• — i \ y.e; _; '. * 



4k 



^6" 



•T>- 



l> 



Fig. 277 — The five forms and transom 



298 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



left straight, but the other was cut on a curve, 
as shown in Fig. 276. Then five temporary 
forms, A — E, and a transom, F, were cut 
to the dimensions given in Fig. 277. We 



-J'--.;^: a 




«i 4'8-- i 

Fig. 278 — A line was drawn along the lath 

used a lath as a flexible ruler when laying 
out the curved sides of the forms. Take the 
center form, C, for example. This required 
a board 12 inches wide and 4 feet 8 inches 
long. The upper curve had a crown or swell 



:^-^ 



--!fe B 







Fig. 279 — The oak stem 

of 3 Inches. We measured in 3 Inches from 
the edge of the board at each end and drove 
two nails, a. Then the lath was placed back 
of the nails and bent outward at the center 
to the edge of the board, while a pencil line 



The Sail Boat 



299 



was drawn along it. Two more nails, b, were now driven 
5 inches back of the nails, ^, and the lath was bent in 
the opposite direction to give us the lower curve of the 
board. In this way all the forms and the transom were 
laid out. And then we sawed out a stem from an oak 
block to the form indicated in Fig. 279. The two side 
planks were now nailed to the steps, G, of the stem, and 
then sprung around the forms and nailed to the transom. 
The forms were spaced at 2, 4, 7, 10, and 12 feet from 
the bow, but because of the swell of the boat they came 
at the points marked A, B, C, etc. The side planks, after 
they were nailed to the molds, were chamfered, as indicated 
at H in Figs. 281 and 282, so as to make a good joint 
with the bottom and deck planking. A keel plank 6 inches 
wide and ^ inch thick was then fastened to the stem and 
sprung around the forms to the transom, where it was 
nailed fast. A temporary strip, /, was then sprung over the 
top of the forms. 

Cutting Out the Ribs 

The next job was to cut out the ribs. These were spaced 
a foot apart, and we had to have twelve altogether. In 
order to get the proper curVe for the ribs we had to place 
a board across the boat, holding it up against the lower 




Fig. 280 — Binding the planks around the forms 



300 



The Scientific American Bov at School 



edge of the side planks, and measure down to the keel 
board. In the same way we obtained the curves for the 
deck beams by measuring up to the strip, /, from a board 
resting across the side planks. 




Fig. 281 — Cross section of the boat 



Our cockpit was to be 5^ feet from the bow and 6 feet 
long, so that there were only 6 deck beams that would run 
all the way across the boat. At one foot from the transom 
we put in a solid board or bulkhead, K. The ribs were now 



<?>«V 




^^ C£OAR PLANK/N6 



Fig. 282 — Each deck beam was connected to the rib below 

nailed in place and then the boat was turned upside down 
and the deck beams fastened in place. Each deck beam 
was connected to the rib below it with a brace. (See Fig. 
282.) Two sills or stringers, L, of i x 15/2-inch spruce 



The Sail Bpat 



301 



were now screwed in place each side of the cockpit. They 
were given the proper curve by springing them around a 
temporary form at the center. The curve at the forward 
end of the cockpit was continued by means of a pair of 
brackets, M. The short deck beams at each side of the 




Fig, 283 — Plan view showing only half of the deck planks in place 

cockpit were now fitted between the side planks and the sills, 
and connected to the ribs by means of braces. The tempor- 
ary forms were now removed and two posts, X, were placed 
under each sill, as shown in Figs. 281 and 283. 

Our mast step, A^, was a piece of oak, 2 inches thick and 




J. ■ A^ 

Fig. 284 — Longitudinal section of the boat 

3 feet long. It was jogged j4 inch, to fit over each of the 
four ribs that it spanned. (See Fig. 284.) A slot was cut 
in this step for the foot of the mast. Just above the mast 
step a deck brace, (Fig. 283), was placed between the 
deck beams with a mast hole in it 3 inches in diameter. The 
way we cut the mast hole was to drill a ring of >^-inch holes. 



302 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



and cut out the wood between them with a chisel. In order 
to be sure to get the hole in the brace and the slot in the 
proper alignment, the hole In the brace, 0, was cut first, and 
after the mast was slipped through this hole and adjusted to 
a vertical position, the place for the slot was marked with a 
pencil and then cut. 

Planking the Frame 

The frame of the boat was now done, and we were ready 
to nail on the planking. We used 3/2-inch pine boards 4 
inches wide for the deck, while for the bottom cedar boards 
of the same dimensions were used. The boards were nailed 
securely to the ribs and deck beams, and also to the side 





T/ti £>< 



Galvanizeo 
Iron Pipe 
Siesi/e FOR 
/fuoDER Post 



Fig. 285— The rudder details 

planks and the sills at each side of the cockpit. Then the 
planking was sawed off neatly along the cockpit and the side 
planks. The cockpit was now finished off with a coaming, P 
(Fig. 281), consisting of two 3/^-Inch boards 4 Inches wide, 
which were sprung into place. The edge of the deck and 
bottom planking was covered by a couple of 3^-inch boards, 



The Sail Boat 303 

i?, which were nailed over the side planks and then planed 
down to a level with the deck and bottom. These boards 
were seated in the steps, Q, of the stem head. Then a floor- 
ing of i-inch pine 3 inches wide was nailed to the ribs. The 
boat was now turned bottom upward, and a keel, S, cut out 
of a I -inch board to fit the bottom was nailed to it. 

Our rudder was made of a ^-inch yellow pine board, cut 
to the dimensions shown in Fig. 285. We got cut two pieces 
of iron pipe, one of which fitted within the other with plenty 
of play. The larger piece was threaded at one end, and 
screwed into a tight hole through the bottom of the boat. 
The pipe was just long enough to reach through a hole in 
the deck closely to the coaming. The second pipe, which was 
about I -inch pipe size, was split with a hack saw to a length 
of about 7 inches, and then a blacksmith bent the split ends 
for us, as shown in the illustration. The rudder blade was 
forced between the two arms of the pipe and was fast- 
ened in place by means of bolts. It was quite a revelation 
to me that iron could be drilled with an ordinary twist drill. 
But though it was slow work, and took lots of oil to keep 
the tool from heating too much, the holes were bored 
through. The opposite end of the pipe was flattened in a 
large vise to fit a slot in the tiller. The tiller was cut to the 
form shown in Fig. 285. A bolt was passed through it at 
each side of the slot to prevent It from splitting. To hold 
the rudder post in place, two holes were drilled in it, one just 
above and the other just below the ends of the larger pipe, 
or rudder sleeve, and pins were driven through. The tiller 
was not fastened to the rudder post, but could be slipped off 
whenever we desired. It was our custom when leaving the 
boat to remove the tiller, in order to prevent thieves from 
making away with the sailboat. 



304 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



The Spars 
Next we turned our attention to the spars. The bowsprit 
was made, as shown in Fig. 286. It was fastened in place 
by means of two lag screws and a ring bolt which passed 
through a cross-piece, T. The mast was made out of the 
gaff of a larger boat that we picked up at the wharves. It 
was 14 feet long and 3 inches in diameter at the base, taper- 



f JP/A^S Bolt Fcif Pa/mtc* 




Fig. 286— The bowsprit 




AfASr OerA/i. {foot Sr MEAO) 

Fig. 287 — Details of the mast head and foot 



/3' — 9"' Boom 




^■-e GAFF 



Fig. 288— The boom and gaff 



ing to about l% inches at the top. The foot of the mast was 
cut as shown to fit the slot in the mast step. We bought a 
mast ring, 17, and fitted it to the upper end of the mast; the 
shroud, V , and forestay, W , were fastened to the ring. The 
boom was 13 feet 9 Inches long and 2 inches in diameter at 
the center and the gaff 6 feet 6 inches long and i^ inches 



The Sail Boat 



^^S 



In diameter at the center. Oak pieces (7, Fig. 288) were 
fastened to the boom and gaff to form the jaw and throat 
which fitted around the mast. 

The Sails 

The sails were made of No. 4 yacht duck, cut to the dimen- 
sions given in Figs. 289 and 290. They were reinforced at 
the corners, as shown. The dotted lines indicate where the 
reef points were placed. (Reef points are short pieces of 




Fig. 289 — The mainsail 



rope fastened to the sail at each side, which are tied around 
the boom when taking a reef.) The 12-foot side or "foot" 
of the mainsail was lashed to the boom, and the 6-foot side 
or "head" to the gaff. The 9-foot side or luff was fastened 
to hoops on the mast. The sail was raised by a "throat 



3o6 



The Scietitific American Boy at School 



halyard," which ran from a block at the masthead under a 

pulley block at the throat of the 
gaff, back over the pulley at the 
masthead, and then down to a cleat 
on the deck near the foot of the 
mast. The "peak" was raised by 
a "peak halyard" attached to the 
outer end of the gaff (Fig. 291), 
which ran to a block at the mast- 
head, thence over a block secured 
to the center of the gaff, back to 
the masthead, and down to a cleat 
on the deck. The "sheet" ran 



Fig. 290— The jibsaQ 





Fig. 291 — The completed sail boat showing the rigging 



The Sail Boat 



307 



from a point near the after end of the boom to a block on 
the stern deck, thence over a second block on the boom, and 
to within convenient reach of the 
man at the tiller^ where a cleat was 
provided. 

To the 12^-foot side of the jib 
sail we sewed a set of small gal- 
vanized iron snap hooks, which 
were snapped over the forestay, 
W. The jib was raised by a hal- 
yard that passed over a block at 
the. masthead. The jib "sheets" ran 
through pulley blocks on the deck, 
to a conveniently located cleat. 
The Leeboard 

The keel on our sailboat was 




Fig. 292— Details of the 
leeboard 




Fig. 293 — The leeboard in use 



3o8 The Scientific American Boy at School 

hardly adequate, and yet, because of the shallow water of 
the creek, we hardly dared to make it any deeper. In order 
to avoid the nuisance of a leaky centerboard box, we used 
a leeboard instead of a centerboard. This was constructed 
as shown in Fig. 292. Fig. 293 shows how it was applied. 
A corner block on the board rested on the deck, while a hook 
at the end of the top piece was caught over the coaming 
around the cockpit. The board was always placed on the 
lee side of the boat (the lee side is the opposite of the wind- 
ward side) and when tacking we had to shift it from one 
side to the other. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

W^ATER SPORTS 

We were all prepared for spring when It came, and a 
wonderful season It was. The weather was perfect. Our 
sailboat was carted down to the creek and launched about 
the middle of March. Doctor Dubois let us moor It at his 
dock, where It was comparatively safe from the Mulligans. 
With it we could sail down the creek and out Into Delaware 
Bay. Our canoe, on the other hand, gave us the range of 
the ponds and lakes In the neighborhood. We paddled for 
a long distance up the stream that emptied Into Silver Lake, 
carrying the canoe around the rapids and shallows and dis- 
covered two new ponds whose existence we had never sus- 
pected. The ponds were In the heart of the woods and 
apparently belonged to no one in particular, so a post was 
driven in the center of each and a sign was nailed to each 
post, reading, "Property of the Scarabeans -by right of dis- 
covery." 

The Diving Swing 

A hot spell started In April and lasted so long that early 
In May the water of Lake Moerls were warm enough for 
swimming. A fine springboard was set up near the head of 
our lake, where the water was pretty deep. From the 
branches of a large tree that reached out over the water 
Bill rigged up a swing. Standing on the seatboard, we would 
swing up high In the air and then leap Into the water. This 
had to be done carefully or we would strike flat on the water 
with a slap that would smart like fury. Roy became so 
expert that he would turn somersaults backward into the 



3IO 



TJie Scientific American Boy at School 



pond. The swing swept within about two feet of the water, 
so that we could just reach it to pull ourselves up. 

Dredging a Swimming Hole 

Encouraged by the success of the swing, Bill set up a pair 
of trapezes. They were swung from the overhanging 
branches of two large trees, one at each side of the mouth 
of the stream, that entered the northern corner of Lake 
Moeris. The mud bottom of the lake was dredged out to 





Fig_ 294— The mud scoop Fig. 295— Dragging the scoop along the bottom 

a depth of over 5 feet by means of a scoop arranged as 
shown in Fig. 294. An old discarded pail was discovered in 
the ash heap. The bottom of a peach basket was nailed to 
the bottom of the pail. A stout stick about 7 or 8 feet 
long was hinged to this board with a piece of leather. A 



Water Sports 



311 



rope attached to the bail of the pail ran through a pulley to 
the handle of the stick. The pulley was a small one made of 
galvanized iron — the kind used for awnings and porch 
screens. When the scoop was lowered Into the pond and 
was dragged along the bottom, the rope was slack, permit- 
ting the pail to swing away from the stick, as In Fig. 295, 
but when the scoop was raised the rope was pulled, bringing 
up the mouth of the pail so as not to spill the contents. The 
mud was dumped out of the scoop Into a large packing box, 
the seams of which we had stuffed to make it water-tight. 
When the box was loaded with as much mud as it would 
carry it was towed to the opposite end of the lake and 
dumped on the marshy shore above of the dam. 

The Outdoor Gymnasium 
Over the spot we dredged the trapeze swings were hung 




M/^^^f^ 



Fig. 296 — A stand was rigged up on the bank 



312 The Scientific American Boy at School 



just far enough apart, so that we could swing from one to 
the other. Our gymnastic feats could be performed in per- 



f^M 







Fig. 297 — Roy would swing out backwards and twist around 



-'^^:^^'^^' 




Fig. 298 — He could turn a somersault while making the leap 



Water Sports 



3^3 



feet safety, because a fall meant nothing more than a clumsy 
dive into the water. A stand was rigged up on the bank at 
each side of the stream, as shown in Fig. 296, and standing 
on the platform of this stand one boy would start the trapeze 
to swingmg, empty; then another boy would swing out from 
the other stand and leap across to catch the empty trapeze. 




Fig. 299 — Diving from the trapeze 

Roy, who was quite a gymnast, would swing out backward 
and twist around so as to face in the opposite direction, while 
leaping across. He would also time his jump so that he 
could turn a somersault while making the leap. It was great 
fun diving from the trapeze in a variety of ways. In addi- 
tion to the swing we rigged up parallel bars, rings, etc., 
until we had quite a gymnasium. 

A Swimming Sail 

"Jumbo" was about the only one who failed to take inter- 
est in this form of amusement. He preferred plain swim- 



314 The Scientific American Boy at School 

ming and, more especially, floating on the water. We told 
him he was getting too lazy for any use and that he needed 
exercise to bring down his avoirdupois, but we could not get 
him to try the trapeze swings. While we were amusing our- 
selves in our outdoor gymnasium "Jumbo" was busy in his 
workshop. One day, much to our surprise, a small sail 
appeared on Lake Moeris heading toward our gymnasium. 
There was a stiff southwest breeze blowing, and the sail was 
making good headway toward us, but the odd thing about it 
was that there appeared to be no boat under the sail. As 
it came nearer we made out "Jumbo's" head behind the sail. 
We swam out to meet the queer craft. 

"What have you got there?" we demanded in chorus. 

"It's a swimming sail," said "Jumbo." "Fine, ain't it? 
Don't have to move a hand. I just let the wind pull me right 
along and steer it with my feet. See?" He made for shore 
and hauled the thmg out on the bank to show it to us. 

Construction of the Swimming Craft 

The body of the boat was a deckboard, A, about 4 feet 
long and a foot wide at the forward end, tapering to 4 inches 
at the stern, with another board, B, fastened on edge to the 
center of it as a sort of fin or keel. The mast, C, was a pole 
about 6 feet long, nailed securely to the fin in front of the 
deckboard. Of course, when the boat was in the water, sup- 
porting "Jumbo's" weight, the body was not horizontal, and 
in order to have the mast vertical he fastened it not at right 
angles to the deck, but at a slight incline toward the bow, as 
indicated in Fig. 303. The mast was guyed to the ends of 
the crosspiece, D, which was nailed to the forward end ot 
the deckboard. At each end of the crosspiece there was a 



Water Sports 



315 




Fig. 300— The deckboard 




Fig. 301— The fin of the swimming craft 



^„ 



fW^\ 



float, E, consisting of a 4 inch square block of wood 18 inches 

long. (See Fig. 302.) 

The sail was a square rig fastened to a screw hook at the 

top of the mast in such 
a way that it could be 
taken off at a moment's 
notice, whenever desired. 
The sheet ropes, which 
were attached to the ends 
of the lower yard arm 
and ran through small 
pulley blocks at the ends 
of the crossbar, C, coming 
together back of the mast 
where they were tied. 
"Jumbo" lay at full length 
on the deck, /f, with his 
head at one side or the 

Fig. 302— Plan view of the swimming craft , r ^i ^ j 

Other or the mast, de- 
pending upon the direction in which he was tacking, and 
with the sheet in his hands he could control 
the sail. 

Hinged to the end of the fin, B, was a 
rudder, as shown in Fig. 303. As he wished 
to have the rudder horizontal, "Jumbo" cut 
the end of the fin on a bevel and then hinged 
the rudder to it with a couple of staples and 
eyes. "Jumbo" oper- 
ated the rudder with 
his feet, which rested 
on the yoke. He 

couldn't make much fig, 303— Side view of the swimming craft 



.---6£ 

4fi6--- 



.--rf 




3i6 



The Scientific American Boy at School 



speed with a boat like that, but it was easier work than swim- 
ming when there was wind enough to fill the sail. Of 
course, the rest of us had to try the queer craft. It was 
rather tipsy, despite the floats, E, but that added to the fun. 
I liked the novelty of it, but as I was not exercising my arms 
and legs I found that the water was a little too cool for 
comfort. On a hot July day it might 



:__.lft— ^ 



1. 



BLADE 




have been very enjoyable. 



The Human Fish 



Bill improved "Jumbo's" craft a 
Fig. 304— The rudder blade hundred per Cent, by removing the 

and yoke ■• -i i r • • • i r \ 

mast and sail and iittmg it with a fish- 
tail propeller instead. He took the propeller he had used 
on the scow, sawed off the handle and fastened a cross piece 




Fig. 305— "Jumbo" lay full length on the deck 



Water Sports 



317 



to it. The fin, B, of "Jumbo's" craft was cut away to make 

room for a reinforcing bloclc, F, nailed to the underside of 

the decic, A. The fish-tail was then hinged to the craft by 

means of a bolt 

which passed 

through the deck 

and the block, F. 

Lying at full length 

on the deck with his 

feet on the cross 

, . Fig. 306 — Working the propeller with the feet 

piece, as shown m 

Fig. 306, he could work the propeller and travel through 

the water at a surprisingly rapid pace. 




One Thing Lacking 

"There is one thing lacking about our Egyptian lake," 
said "Doc," once when we were alone, "and that is the croco- 
diles. We ought to have a few of those reptiles to make it 
interesting around our water gymnasium. Now, couldn't we 
rig up some sort of a fake alligator on the quiet, and then 
spring a joke on the rest of the boys?" 

"Doc" had taken me into his confidence ever since the 
waving bush episode. "Better ask 'Jumbo,' " I said, "he is 
our craftsman." 

"No, he could not keep a secret. Suppose we made it so 
that a fellow could get inside of the head and tow the thing 
along. It would be pretty real, now, wouldn't it?" 

"Yes, but the boys would be suspicious if you were not 
around. They know your tricks." 

"You have forgotten Tommy," he said. "I can make 
him do anything for me. He can swim like an eel, too." 



3i8 The Scientific American Boy at School 

"Well, what are your plans? I will do what I can to help 
you." 

Together we rigged up a sort of dragon or sea serpent. 
We made only the head, assuming that the rest of the body 
and tail would be under water anyway. 

The Framework of the Monster 

Fig. 307 shows how the framework of the head was con- 
structed. The front float consisted of two boards, Ay 4 feet 
long, fastened together with a pair of cleats, and cut to 
form the lower jaw of the dragon. Two similar boards, B, 
served as the rear float of the head. Two strips, C, of 




5ft. *» 



Fig. 307 — Framework o* the head 




Fig. 308 — Skeleton of the upper jaw 

wood connected the floats, leaving a space of about three 
feet between them. Three arched ribs, D, connected the 
strips, C, which were braced by a crosspiece, E. On the ribs, 
D, we laid several longitudinal strips, F. On the front 
float. A, two brackets, G, were fastened on which the upper 
jaw was hinged. 



Water Sports 319 

The frame for the upper jaw is shown In Fig. 308. It 
consisted of two strips, H, fastened to the edges of a short 
block, I, and connected by arched ribs, J, to which longitu- 
dinal strips were secured. Two of these strips which pro- 
jected beyond the rear rib were hinged at K to the brackets 
G, and extended into the head portion, forming handles, L, 
by which the jaw could be opened and shut. The rear rib 
of the jaw was braced with a cross strip, M, and a wire, A^, 
was tied across the strips, H, where they were joined by the 
forward rib of the jaw. 

Covering the Framework 

Our framework completed, we covered it with burlap, 
stretching it tightly and tacking it in place. Heavy brown 
paper was pasted to the burlap with shellac, the shellac being 
thickly apphed so as to water-proof the material. For the 
snout of the beast we used two small tin cans, painted red 
inside, which projected through the cloth and burlap. Two 
large green bottles served as the eyes. They were tied to 
the framework so that the bottoms projected slightly from 
the paper, and to make them more hideous large black and 
red rings were painted around them. Two large tusks 
whittled out of wood and painted white were fastened to the 
upper jaw, and a pair of horns protruded from the head just 
back of the eyes. The beast was provided with a bristling 
spine made of red cloth fastened to wooden spines that stuck 
out of the framework. After the paper had been painted 
dark green with large scales outlined on it, the whole 
material was coated with shellac so as to preserve It from the 
water. The jaws inside were painted red and were provided 
with teeth cut out of celluloid. Altogether the reptile pre- 
sented quite a terrifying appearance. The thing floated on 



320 The Scicntiiic American Boy at School 

the water and Tommy, diving under the edge, could 
enter the head and resting his arms on the crosspiece, E, 




Fig. 309 — The swimmer inside the head 

could swim along and propel the head. Whenever he 
wished to he could make the jaws snap by operating the 
handles, L. 

The Sea Serpent in Lake Moeris 

When one afternoon a queer looking object came sailing 
down the stream. It made quite a commotion. No one 
noticed it until it was quite near us. Then, suddenly, 
"Sneezer" looked up and gave a yell. 

"W-w-what is it?" cried "Jig." 

"Snakes alive!" shouted Roy. "There is a sea serpent. 
Bill." 

Bill looked around laughing, but the laugh froze on his 
face as the reptile was almost upon him. Bill suddenly had 
a very pressing engagement ashore. 

Of course, the hoax was discovered at once, and "Doc" 
was mobbed and ducked on general principles. Neverthe- 
less, the sea serpent was appreciated. Bill declared that It 
was too good a joke to be kept to ourselves and suggested 
that we take It down past Garrison's picnic grounds the next 
day, which was Decoration Day. Tommy agreed to do his 



Water Sports 



321 



part. We carted the thing down to the creek early the next 
morning and concealed it in a cove just below the picnic 
grounds. The tin cans in the snout were filled with red fire 
powder and a touch-hole was punched in each so that Tommy 
with a long piece of lighted punk could reach forward and 
set them off at the dramatic moment. 

The Sea Serpent in the Creek 
In the afternoon we all went down to Garrison's and 
joined the picnic crowd. There was a tremendous mob of 
people. The little merry-go-round, razzle-dazzle and the 
ridiculously short roller tobaggan were crowded to their 
utmost capacity. Others were enjoying their first swim of 
the season, while there was a large crowd on the long low 
pier, waiting for the return of the electric launch, which made 




Fig. 310 — Opened its jaws and snapped them together 

hourly trips down the creek. Suddenly, some one pointed to 
a large floating object which was coming in with the tide. 
"It looks like a sea serpent, don't it?" said one person. "By 
jinks, it does," said another. A cry was raised, and every 
one flocked to the water's edge to see this strange thing. A 
boy shied a stone at it that struck very near. With that the 
floating object suddenly came to life. It opened its jaws and 
snapped them together, letting out volumes of red smoke 



322 The Sclent iftc American Boy at School 

from its nostrils, and then turned about and headed straight 
for the dock. Immediately there was a panic. The crowd 
stampeded. Women and children shrieked in terror, as they 
fought and struggled to get off the pier. In the excitement, 
one little girl was knocked overboard, but every one was 
bent on his own safety and paid no attention to her cry for 
help. Bill saw her, however, and leaped into the water, fully 
dressed as he was. Swimming to the spot he caught the girl 
by the hair and dragged her to the pier and up to safety. 
There was really nothing phenomenal about the rescue, but 
every one made a hero of Bill for daring to venture forth 
into the vicinity of the sea serpent. 

Tommy's Peril 

In the meantime some one ran to the shooting gallery 
for a rifle, and poured shot after shot into the sea serpent. 
It had stopped coming toward the pier and was drifting 
with the tide toward the opposite bank. We were thor- 
oughly alarmed for the safety of Tommy, but were too 
frightened to stop the shooting. Just as the last shot was be- 
ing fired, and I was running forward to stop the man, I caught 
sight of Tommy's head bobbing up from under the pier. It 
seems he had not been having all the fun either. When he 
opened the jaws a large quantity of red fire spilled out of 
the cans on to the lower jaw and blazed up fiercely. This 
fire let forth such a volume of smoke as to nearly stifle 
Tommy, and he was compelled to dive out from under the 
head and make for shore. Seeing the commotion at the 
pier, he had swam under water as far as he could until he 
reached the shelter of the pier and could mingle with the 
other swimmers unobserved. Some one went over in a 
boat to the point where the sea serpent was stranded and 



Water Sports 323 

discovered the hoax. The crowd was divided between its 
anger at the practical joke that had been played, and Its 
apprehension lest some one had been killed by the rifle shots. 
The creek was dredged and the coroner was notified, but no 
trace of a body could be found, no one was missed from the 
neighborhood, and the thing passed into legend as one of 
the mysteries of the locality. 

As for Bill, he was quite a hero about town. A glowing 
account of the whole affair was published in the Philadelphia 
papers the next day. 

"I felt like a fool," he told us, "to have them make such 
a fuss about it, when all along I knew it was a fake sea 
serpent that was chasing them; but, of course, I did not 
dare to let the secret out during the panic or they would 
have mobbed us sure. It was a pretty bad scare we gave 
them, now, wasn't it? It might have been serious, too. 
Lucky I happened to see the girl." 

"Lucky In more ways than one," answered "Doc." "Do 
you know who the girl was? That was Mary Mulligan, 
Pat's youngest sister." 

"Pat's sister?" 

"Yep. He dotes on that little girl; thinks the world and 
all of her, and I guess you will find you are solid with him 
from now on. Wish this had happened last year, It would 
have saved us all the trouble we have had with his gang." 

"Doc" was right. No Mulligan showed up in our vicinity 
again that summer, and when, one day after the sea serpent 
episode, Bill and I met Pat's gang on a deserted side street, 
instead of attacking us with a volley of stones, Pat sang out : 
"Howd'y, BUI," and let us by without the slightest moles- 
tation. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 
THE GEYSER FOUNTAIN 

The school term was fast drawing to a close, and it began 
to look as though it would mark the end of the Modern 
Order of Ancient Engineers. "Doc" and Bill were to grad- 
uate that year. Roy's father had to move out West with 
his family, and Roy could not come back for the following 
term. I received word from home to the effect that I would 
have to finish my course at the State Normal School, where 
my brothers expected to go, now that they had outgrown 
the little country school at home. There was not much 
left of the Modern Order of Ancient Engineers. "Sneezer," 
"Jumbo" and "Jig" said that they would organize the fol- 
lowing year and continue the Society of the Scarabeus. 
"Sneezer" wrote me that they had initiated four new mem- 
bers into the club and were starting the year with some fine 
new ideas, about which he would tell me when they material- 
ized. But whether they were never carried out, or whether 
"Sneezer" was too busy or lazy to write, I never received 
any further word from him. 

A Token of Gratitude 

Shortly before Commencement, when we began to realize 
that more than half the club would soon be lost, Bill called 
a meeting of the Scarabeans, the object of which was to 
determine upon some method of showing our gratitude to 
old Farmer Fithian for letting us build the lake on his prop- 
erty and cut down his trees for our dam, lake house and other 
engineering undertakings, and finally for his kindness in 



The Geyser Fountain 325 

many little ways too numerous to be recounted. We talked 
It over for an hour without coming to any decision, and at 
last resolved to ask the old farmer himself whether there 
was not something we could make for him. 

"Bless ye, boys," he said. "Ye can't do nothin' fur me. 
It's a pleasure to have had ye around, and I ain't seekin' 
no pay for lettln' ye play on that there swamp land." 

"Oh, we couldn't begin to reward you," answered Bill, 
"but we'd like ever so much to make something for you that 
you'll remember us by." 

"Much obleeged to ye, boys, but I guess I got everything 
I want." 

"How about Aunt Mirandy? Isn't there anything she 
would like to have?" 

The old man's eyes brightened. "Wal, now, maybe thar 
be. I ain't sayin' as how ye can do It, but Mirandy sets such a 
store by that there garden of hers. She's been a-wishin' she 
could have a fountain there with fish in it. But, shucks, 
you couldn't do that, could ye ? Ye couldn't make a fountain 
for her." 

Bill scratched his head. "That's a tough one," he said, 
"but we'll see what can be done." 

Farmer Fithian's Spring 

Right back of Farmer Fithian's house there was a hill, 
at the foot of which was a small spring. We all went over 
to see if the spring could be utilized for the purpose. 

"I had thought of that," said Farmer Fithian. "There 
ain't enough water in it to make much of a fountain." 

"I guess you're right," agreed Bill, "if you mean to have 
the thing running all the time. But how about a geyser foun- 



326 The Scientific American Boy at School 

tain. Say it ran for a minute and then stopped for five. How 
would that do? We could have it spout up pretty high." 

"Could ye, now?" said the farmer eagerly. 

"No, I don't believe we could. It would take a plumber 
to lay the pipes from the spring, but I believe it could be 
done quite easily by using the siphon principle." 

"I'll get the plumber," said Farmer Fithian, "if you'll 
tell him how to do It." 

A Temporary Fountain 

"I tell you what, we'll rig the thing up temporarily with 
garden hose and see how it works. Then If It's a success 
you can have the Iron pipe laid and make a permanent thing 
of it. We'll have to scour the neighborhood for more 
garden hose, though, because it must be over 200 feet to 
the garden from here. The first thing we want Is a big rain 
barrel and a couple of spades, and we'll start right to work 
at once." They were procured, and Bill set us to digging a 
hole just below the spring for the barrel. He himself 
jumped on his wheel and rode down to the hardware store 
for a short piece of i-Inch pipe which he had threaded at one 
end for about 2 Inches. On his way back he stopped at the 
lake house for "Jumbo's" brace and a bit just a trifle smaller 
than the pipe. By the time he got back we had the hole dug 
and the barrel was set in place with its upper end a few 
Inches below the level of the spring. 

Bill bored a hole In the barrel, just below the upper edge, 
and then forced the pipe In it as far as It would go, threading 
It into the wood as we had done before with the pipe in the 
steam box. A V-trough, made of two boards nailed edge to 
edge, carried the water from the spring to the barrel. Clay 
was packed all round the mouth of the trough to prevent the 



The Geyser Fountain 



327 



water from escaping and the tiny stream that trickled from 
the other side of the spring was dammed up. A short piece 
of garden hose just long enough to reach to the bottom of 
the barrel was now forced on the inner end of the iron 
pipe. This done we went foraging for garden hose. Half a 
dozen lengths were procured, and these were coupled to- 
gether with hose couplings, making a rubber tube long 
enough to reach to Aunt Mirandy's garden. The hose was 




Fig. 311 — ^A V-trough carried the water from the spring to the barrel 

attached to the pipe sticking out of the barrel and wired fast, 
while the nozzle at the other end was propped upright in the 
garden. The water which had been pouring out of the pipe 
now flowed into the hose to the nozzle. There was quite a 
drop from the barrel to the nozzle which made the stream 
shoot up fully five feet in the air. It kept this up until the 
barrel was nearly empty, and air could enter the short piece 
of hose, then the fountain stopped flowing until the barrel 
was filled and covered the pipe again. 



328 The Scientific American Boy at School 

Aunt Mirandy was so delighted with the geyser fountain 
that we felt highly flattered. 

"I tell you what we'll do," said Bill, "we'll make the 
fountain basin for you out of concrete after the plumber 
has laid a pipe from the water barrel, and another to drain 
the basin." 

The Iron Pipe Line 

Of course, the garden hose had to be returned at once. 
Farmer Fithian had the plumber at work within a couple of 
days. He replaced the hose in the barrtl with an iron pipe 
connected by an elbow to the short piece we had inserted, and 
then ran a line of pipe down to the site of the fountain basin, 
burying it under the ground. A valve was placed in the 
pipe at the barrel so that the geyser fountain could be 
stopped whenever desired. A hose nozzle was fastened to 
the fountain end of the pipe. Near the nozzle he placed 
a discharge pipe. The upper end of this pipe was almost 
on a level with the surface of the ground. It dropped ver- 
tically for about two feet and then branched off to a drain 
nearby. 

The Concrete Basin 

After the plumber was through we started work on the 
basin. It was to be 6 feet in diameter inside. With a cord 
attached to the nozzle we laid out two circles, one for the 
outside and the other for the inside of the basin wall. Bill's 
idea was to dig a trench for the concrete wall and thus save 
making forms. For the sake of appearances the wall was 
to be 10 Inches wide at the top, though it narrowed down 
considerably toward the bottom. The trench was dug to a 
depth of 2 feet, the sides being neatly and smoothly cut with 
a sharp spade, particularly the inner vertical side, which 



The Geyser Fountain 



329 



would show. When the trench had been dug we bought a 
barrel of cement. Farmer Fithian loaned us his horse and 
wagon, and we went off In search of three barrels of good 







Fig. 312 - The trench was dug to a depth of two feet 

sharp sand and five barrels of small stones for the concrete 
mixture. The proper material was found on the shore of 
Silver Lake. 

The Concrete Mixture 

The cement and sand were mixed in a large wooden box. 
With a barrel and a half of sand we mixed half a barrel of 
cement. The stuff was turned over and over with a spade 
until it was thoroughly mixed. Farmer Fithian loaned us 
a lime trough in which the concrete mixing was done. Two 
and a half barrels of stones were dumped in the lime trough, 
and then the stones were well wet down, after which the 
cement and sand mixture was shoveled in and turned over 
and over with a spade until each stone was crusted with 
cement. Enough water was added to make a thick pasty 
mass, which was then dropped Into the trench and tamped 
down. We had to be careful not to put in too much water, 
or it would soak Into the ground at each side and carry off 
much of the cement. However, enough was added so that 
It would show slightly as the material was being tamped 
down. The batch we made up was not quite enough to fill 



330 



T}ic Scientific American Boy at School 



the trench, and we had to mix some more in the same pro- 
portions, viz. : one part cement, three parts sand, and five 
parts stone. 

After several days, when we thought the concrete was 
sufficiently hardened, the earth was dug out inside the circu- 
lar wall and smoothed off to make a level floor. A layer of 




Fig. 313 — A Sectional view of the basin 

concrete about 2 inches deep was laid over the floor. Where 
the bottom touched the side walls they were swept clean and 
washed down with water, so that there would be a perfect 
union of the dry concrete with the fresh mixture. 

The water was turned on in the geyser fountain on the 
day before Commencement. The concrete was not perfectly 




<«r.. 



Fig:, 314 — The last act of the Scarabeans 



The Geyser Fountain 331 

hard, but that didn't matter so long as it had set, because 
concrete hardens readily under water. Aunt Mirandy was 
tickled to death with the fountain. She got her goldfish and 
fixed up the basin with rocks and moss so that it looked very 
pretty indeed. Of course, the edge of the concrete wall was 
not perfectly smooth, because it had been cast in the earth, 
but if anything this added to the rustic effect of the fountain. 
This was the last act of the Scarabeans of which I have any 
record and, of all our achievements, the one which gave the 
greatest satisfaction. 



INDEX 



Admiral, chief, 51 

Afternoon call, 121 

Ahmosis, 51 

Alarm clock trigger, 245 

Alidade, 85 

Alidade, the carpet tack, 91 

Alphabet, wig-wag, 114 

Ambush, an, 46 

Amenhotep, 51 

Amenophis, 51 

Animals, wild, photographing, 181 

Arch Priest and Astrologer, 51 

Arch Priest of the Sacred Scara- 

beus, 282 
Artist, Chief, 51 
Asbestos, box packed with, 41 
Astrologer, Arch Priest and, 51 
Attack, the, 139 
Auxiliary keel, 254 



Babbitt metal, 150 
Bags, sleeping, 199 
Bags, water-proofing the, 200 
Ball, cone, and drum code, no 
Banquet, a daylight, 49 
Basin, concrete, 328 
Bearing, swivel, 66 
Beds, pine, 201 
Bench vise, 58 
Bicycle-driven boat, 64 
Bicycle sled, 267, 268 
Bicycle support, 72 
Birdsey^ photography, 242 
Bladder trigger, 244 



Blind, ornithologist's, 171 

Blind, umbrella, 178 

Boat building, 18 

Boat party, 96 

Boat, pedal-paddle, 64 

Boat, sail, 297 

Boat towing, 252 

Bokhara, report from, 142 

Boom and gaff, 304 

Bottom, nailing on the, 20 

Bottomless pit, 4 

Bouquet in the goblet, 286 

Bow drill, 61 

Bowsprit, 304 

Box, trick, 294 

Brake, wanted a, 270 

Bramble path, 13 

Bridge building, lesson in, 125 

Bridge, draw, above canal, 163 

Bridge, draw, over moat, 124 

Bridge, Howe truss, 121 

Bridge, plank, 123 

Bridge on runners, mounting, 131 

Buoy, 75 

Bush, the waving, 267 



Camera as a telescope, loi 
Camera, dummy, 177 
Camera, hunting with a, 167 
Camp, fireless cooker for, 202 
Camp, refrigerator for, 204 
Camping ideas, 198 
Canal, digging the, 161 
Canal lock, 156, 158 
Cane and cardboard scale, IJ 
Canoe, building the frame of, 259 



Index 



333 



Canoe, canvas covered, wooden, 

258 
Canvas, stretching on canoe frame, 

265 
Cardboard scale, surveying, 77 
Carpet tack alidade, 91 
Catapult, snowball, 133 
Catapult stand, 134 
Catapult, trigger of the, 135 
Calking and painting, 24 
Centerboard, 239 
Chewink, 175 
Chief Admiral, 51 
Chief Artist, 51 
Chief Craftsman, 51 
Chief Engineer, 51 
Chief of Tilled Lands, 215 
Chimney opening, 41 
Chopping down a tree, 29 
Cipher disk, 118 
Cipher, making up the, 119 
Clapboards, putting on the, 40 
Clepsydra, a siphon, 229 
Clepsydras and sun dials, 219 
Climbers, 180 
Clock, alarm, trigger, 245 
Clock, a simple water, 229 
Club house, new, 12 
Club house on the lake, 28 
Coating the paper, 154 
Code, the ball, cone, and drum, no 
Coin, dissolving, 291 
Concrete basin, 328 
Concrete mixture, 329 
Cones, making the, 108 
Contests, gliding, 196 
Cooker, tireless, construction of, 

203 ^ 
Craft, swimming, construction of, 

314 
Craftsman, Chief, 51 
Creek, sea serpent in, 321 
Croquet balls, 108 
Current sailing, 250, 255 



D 

Daily paper, 142 

Dam, building a, 9 

Dial face, marking the, 223 

Dial mechanism, 231 

Dial, the square face, 220 

Dial, vertical, 228 

Digging the canal, 161 

Dipper, pointers in, 225 

Diving swing, 309 

Dock, 28 

Door, the principal's, 2 

Drag, sailing with a, 256 

Drawbridge above the canal, 163 

Dredging a swimming hole, 310 

Drill, a bow, 61 

Drill, twisted cord, 62 

Drum, making the, 109 

Drum, recording, 151 

Dummy camera, 177 

E 

Earthquake, locating the, 146 

Eggs in the magic handkerchief, 
288 

Egyptian entertainment, 280 

Egyptian lathe, 59 

Electric night signals, 115 

Electric shutter, 176 

Engineer, Chief, 51 

Engineering problem, 156 

Engineers, Ancient, Modern Or- 
der of, 50 

Entertainment, the Egyptian, 280 

Euphrates, tunnel under, 10 

Eye piece, 105 



Failure, a, 185 

Farmer Fithian, 29 

Farmer Fithian enrolled with 

Scarabs, 214 
Farmer Fithian's spring, 325 



334 



Index 



Feast, preparing for the, 211 
Fireless cooker for the camp, 202 
Fish, human, 316 
Fish tail, construction of, 236 
Fish tail propeller, 234 
Fish tail propulsion, 238 
Fish tail, steering with, 240 
Fish tail, wooden, 235 
Fish, taking pictures of, 185 
Flexible ruler, 298 
Float box, 183 
Floor of the lake house, 36 
Flowers, magic, 285 
Flying machine, 187 
Focus, testing, 103 
Forms and side planks, 297 
Fountain, geyser, 324 
Fountain, temporary, 326 
Frame, bracing the, 191 
Frame of the house, 37 
Frame, planking the, 302 
Framework of sea serpent, cover- 
ing, 319 
Friction drive, 64 



Gaflf and boom, 304 

Gallery, rogues', 52 

Gate, the lower, 160 

Gate, the upper, 160 

Geyser fountain, 324 

Ghost at the window, 217 

Glide, the first, 194 

Gliding contests, 196 

Gliding machine, 187, 189 

Gnomon, 221 

Goblet, bouquet in, 286 

Gratitude, token of, 324 

Great dipper, 225 

"Ground" plan of lake house, 33 

Guest of honor, 172 

Gunners' shield, 136 

Guy wires, tightening, 191 

Gymnasium, outdoor, 311 



H 

Hairs, stadia, sewing-in, 106 

Hairs, stadia, where to set, 104 

Hall, light in the, 47 

Harmhab, 215 

Hat, the padded, 289 

Haunted house, 207 

Haunted house, trip to, 212 

Hawk, photographing, 175 

Height, measuring by reflection, 83 

Height, measuring by shadow, 83 

Horizontal pendulum, 147 

House on the lake, 28 

Howe truss bridge, 121 

Howe truss, construction of, 127 

Human fish, 316 

Hunt, an early morning, 170 

Hunting with a camera, 167 



Ice trigger, 245 
Iceless refrigerator, 204 
Inclined slideways, 157 
Incubators, Egyptian, 11 
Initiation, i 
•Initiation, "Jig's," 6 
Ink to water, changing, 290 
"Iris," 266 



"Jig's" initiation, 6 
K 

Keel, removable, 254 
Key ring signal, 246 
Keys, electric, 116 
Kite photography, 242 
Kite signals, telephone, 247 
Kites, water, 250 



"Lady Bug," launching the, 25 
Lake house, floor of the, 36 



Index 



335 



Lake house, frame of the, 37 
Lake house, visit to, 211 
Lake Moeris and the Nile, 166 
Lake Moeris, sea serpent in, 320 
Lake, sounding the, 94 
Lake, surveying the, 73, 86 
Lamp circuits, electric, 117 
Land stations, 96 
Lathe, an Egj'ptian, 59 
Launching the "Lady Bug," 25 
Lawn, the sun dial on, 225 
Leeboard, 307 
Lenses, testing, 103 
Letter, Uncle Ed's, 141 
Lever bearing, casting the, 149 
Licked, 276 
Light in the hall, 47 
Locating the earthquake, 146 
Locating the soundings, 98 
Lock, the canal, 156, 158 
Lock, surveying for the, 158 
Locker, 22 

Locks, passing through, 162 
Log v^all, 15 

M 

Magic, 279 

Magic flowers, 285 

Magic handkerchief, eggs in, 288 

Magic solvent, 291 

Main frame of gliding machine, 
189 

Man up a tree, 167 

Matches, waterproof, 206 

Meadow lark, photographing, 173 

Member, an honorary, 181 

Member, an unexpected, 7 

Menes, 51^ 

Message from the Sacred Scar- 
abeus, 207 

Midnight, 42 

Moat, the, 122 

Modern Order of Ancient Engi- 
neers, 50 



Moeris, Lake, and the Nile, 166 
Money, making, 293 
Monster, framework of, 318 
Mud scoop, 310 
Mulligans, 44 
Mulligans, a raid on, 274 
Multiplying lever, 149 
Mysterious sounds, 213 

N 

News, exciting, 209 
Nickel-in-the-slot machines, Egyp- 
tian, II 
Nile and Lake Moeris, 166 
North star, finding the, 225 
Numerals, wig-wag, 114 



Official seals, 55 
One thing lacking, 317 
Ornithologist's blind, 171 
Outdoor gjTTinasium, 311 



Paddle boat, 64 

Paddle wheels, 68 

Paint, phosphorescent, 218 

Painting and calking, 24 

Palm trees, imitation, 281 

Pantagraph, 53 

Paper, coating the, 154 

Paper, daily, 142 

Path, the bramble, 13 

Pedal-paddle boat, 64 

Pendulum, connecting lever to, 151 

Pendulum, horizontal, 147 

Pharaoh, 51 

Phosphorescent paint, 218 

Photographing a meadow lark, 173 

Photographing wild animals, 181 

Photography, birdseye, 242 

Photography, kite, 242 

Photography, under-water, 183 



32,^ 



Index 



Piers, supporting lake house, 2>^ 
Pile driving, 13 
Pin, surveying with, 79 
Pine beds, 201 
Pipe line, iron, 328 
Pipe wrench, 262 
Pit, the bottomless, 4 
Plane table, 84 
Planes, the sail, 191 
Plank bridge, the, 123 
Planking the frame, 302 
Platform, the working, 31 
Pointers in the Great Dipper, 225 
Pole star, fin-ding the, 225 
Portrait, unexpected, iSs 
Principal's door, 2 
Problem, an engineering, 156 
Professor James's comment, 100 
Propeller, the fish tail, 234 
Propulsion, fish tail, 238 
Protractor, 221 

R 

Rabbit, photographing, 181 
Rameses, 51 

Record from the West Indies, 155 
Recorder, the time, 153 
Recording drum, 151 
Recording the soundings, 97 
Rectangle, laying out, 32 
Reflection, measuring height by, 83 
Refrigerator, iceless, 204 
Regulator, the siphon, 232 
Reinforcements, 139 
Removable keel, 254 
Report from Bokhara, 142 
Requirements, one of the, 216 
Ribs, bending the, 263 
Ribs, cutting out the, 299 
Rod, the stadia, 91 
Rogues' gallery, 52 
Rollers, how made, 65 
Rout, put to, 46 
Rudder, the, 71 



Rudder frame of glider, 193 
Ruler, flexible, 298 
Ruler, sighting across, •/6 



Sail boat, the, 297 

Sail planes, 191 

Sail, swimming, 313 

Sailing, current, 250, 255 

Sailing with a drag, 256 

Sails, 305 

Scarabeans, representative of the, 

173 
Scarabeus, message from, 207, 283 
Scarabeus, Sacred, advent of, 282 
Scarabeus, Sacred, Arch Priest 

of, 282 
Scarabeus, the, 10 
Scarabs, Farmer Fithian enrolled 

with, 214 
Sea serpent in Lake Moeris, 320 
Sea serpent in the creek, 321 
Seals, official, 55 
Seismograph explained, 143 
Seismograph, the, 141 
Semaphore signals, night, 115 
Semaphore system, 112 
Shadow, measuring height by, 83 
Shadowgraph, 53 
Shield, the gunners', 136 
Shore line, sketching in, 89 
Shutter, an electric, 176 
Shutter, suggestions for springing, 

243 
Sighting across a ruler, 76 
Sighting over the thumb, 75 
Signal, key ring, 246 
Signaling systems, 108 
Signals, electric night, 115 
Silhouette, drawing one's own, 54 
Siphon clepsydra, 229 
Siphon regulator, 232 
Siren whistle, 214 
Skeleton map, 89 



Index 



337 



Skeleton map of the road, 93 

Slab boards, 28 

Slate, message on the, 283 

Sled, bicycle, 267, 268 

Sleeping bags, 199 

Sleeping bags in use, 200 

Slideways, the inclined, 157 

Snowball catapult, 133 

Solvent, the magic, 291 

Sonches, 51 

Sounding parties, 96 

Sounding the lake, 94 

Soundings, locating the, 98 

Soundings, recording the, 97 

Sounds, mysterious, 213 

Spars, 304 

Sports, water, 309 

Spring, Farmer Fithian's, 325 

Square, to make firm, 34 

Stadia hairs, sewing-in, 106 

Stadia hairs, where to set, 104 

Stadia rod, 91 

Stage settings, 281 

Stand, catapult, 134 

Stand for trapeze swings, 313 

Steam box, 261 

Stencil, a cardboard, 25 

Stockade, the under-water, Ji 

Stylus, 151 

Summer outing, planning a, 198 

Sun as a time keeper, 222 

Sun dial, on the lawn, 225 

Sun dials and clepsydras, 219 

Surprises, a chapter of, 42 

Surveying for the lock, 158 

Surveying the lake, 72, 86 

Surveying the road, 92 

Surveying with a pin, 79 

Surveying; tricks of, 75 

Swimming craft, construction of, 

314 
Swimming hole, dredging a, 310 
Swimming sail, 313 
Swing, the diving, 309 



Swivel bearing, 66 



Table, the plane, 84 
Telephone kite signals, 247 
Telescope, camera as, loi 
Telescope, making, 104 
Testing the dial mechanism, 232 
Thumb, sighting over, 75 
Tilled Lands, Chief of, 215 
Time recorder, 153 
Token of gratitude, 324 
Tolls, collecting, 166 
Tommy, disappearance of, 294 
Tommy's peril, 322 
Tommy's return, 296 
Towing a boat, 252 
Two-foot rule, method of survey- 
ing, 81 
"Traversing," 89 
Trapeze, 310 

Tree, how to chop down, 29 
Tree, man up a, 167 
Tree, the shadow of, 83 
Triangles, 34 
Trigger, alarm clock, 245 
Trigger, bladder, 244 
Trigger, ice, 245 
Trigger of the catapult, 135 
Tripod, home-made, 94 
Truss, assembling the, 128 
Truss bridge, Howe, 121 
Tunnel under the Euphrates, 10 
Turtle, photograph of, 183 
Twisted cord drill, 62 
Twisting wire, 190 

U 

Umbrella blind, 178 
Uncle Ed's letter, 141 
Under-water photography, 183 
Under-water stockade, 73 
Unis, 51 



338 



Index 



Vise, the bench, 58 
Vizier, 51 

w 

Wall, a log, IS 

Warning, 137 

Water, changing ink to, 290 

Water clock, a simple, 229 

Water kites and current sailing, 

250 
Water sports, 309 



Waterproof matches, 206 

Waterproofing the bags, 200 

Waving bush, 267 

West Indies, record from the, 155 

Wheels, the paddle, 68 

Wig-wag alphabet, 114 

Wire, twisting, proper way, 190 

Work bench, 56 

Working platform, 31 



Yard stick, telescope mounted on, 
107 




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